Dennis “Maliq” Barnes, a high school senior from New Orleans who received over 185 college acceptance letters and more than $10 million in scholarship offers, said on Friday that he will enroll at Cornell University next autumn.
International High School of New Orleans is where Barnes’ school is located.
“I have committed to attend Cornell University and intend to pursue computer science and to later move on to practice software development,” said Barnes, who put on a Cornell University sweatshirt during the announcement. “Today is an exciting day for me and my family and I look forward to working with Cornell’s college of engineering over the course of my undergraduate education.”
Barnes, who is graduating two years early and has a GPA of 4.98, said to CNN last month that his goals were to study computer technology and then go to law school. He stated that he initially had no plans to break any records when he began applying to colleges in August 2022.
Inquisitive, Barnes said, “As I applied to more schools, as my numbers went up, with the financial aid and acceptances into universities, I became intrigued,” adding that when he was told he was close to the record, he “just went for it.”
The tweet below confirms the news:
Dennis Barnes, a 16-year-old senior, picks Cornell University after getting over 185 college acceptances https://t.co/PuBDHfHj1q
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 5, 2023
Louisiana Teen Chooses Cornell University for Engineering and New Experiences
He claimed on Friday that he has known what he wants to accomplish since he was a little child and that Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, is the “best Ivy League for engineering.” He stated that he desired to enroll in a school that would “set me up for success, that would give me a quality education.”
“I want to leave New Orleans behind. Barnes stated, while he pledged to “always” return home, “I love my city, but I do want to venture out and experience new things and see the new things that I haven’t seen before.”
When asked what he wanted to take away from his college experience, Barnes responded that he wanted to make new friends, “get a better understanding and different perspective of the world, have my eyes opened, and have my perceptions changed by the people around me for the better.”
He earlier declared his intention to work toward a dual degree in criminal justice and computer science.
A statement from Cornell Engineering to CNN read, “Cornell Engineering congratulates Dennis and his fellow members of the Class of 2027, as well as their families, on all they have accomplished to reach this exciting moment in their educational journeys.” In a few months, we can’t wait to welcome this outstanding group of future leaders to our campus community.
According to his high school, Barnes has dual enrollment at the Southern University of New Orleans and has earned 27 college credits during the last two years. For his academic success, he has been given internship opportunities and other honors, including a proclamation from New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
He acknowledged his family’s support for helping him achieve his goal and expressed his desire to receive advice from Oprah Winfrey and former President Barack Obama, both of whom made history and whom he really admires.
“Keep God first, not everybody is religious but one thing that I would definitely encourage is to keep God in the midst. I know that’s something that has always worked for me,” he said.
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