She is the smartest person in New York.
A bright teenager from Washington Heights was accepted into all eight Ivy League schools, plus 20 other colleges to which he applied.
“When we were trying to open [an admissions] “When I got the letter, I was prepared for it to be my first rejection, and then I opened it and it always said, ‘Congratulations on your acceptance,'” said Malena Garrett, who graduated from Bronx Science High School in June. “I never thought I’d get in anywhere.”
Garrett, 17, graduated from the highly competitive school with a 97% GPA, making her the first in her family to attend college.
“Ever since I can remember, school has always been my number one priority. Even in elementary school, I always wanted to be at the top of my class,” she said, thanking her parents, who teach tango and moved to Washington Heights from their native Argentina in 2000. They instilled in her that “education is the most important thing,” she added.
At Bronx Science, Garrett took 11 advanced level classes, served as captain of the prestigious school’s speech and debate club, founded a student-led group working on gender equality and served as secretary of the Senior Council, among other activities.
“Malena is a guide who teaches me the true meaning of the American Dream,” says Frances Kweller, founder of the tutoring company Kweller Prep, who has been tutoring Garrett since he was in the sixth grade.
The accomplished student estimates that he spent about 200 hours writing 70 supplemental essays for his college application, as well as countless hours studying for the SAT, on which he earned a score of 1,560 out of a possible 1,600.
Garrett’s college application costs ranged from $50 to $85 each, but she explained that they were waived through the College Entrance Examination Board’s financial aid program.
Her first acceptance letter came in December: “Yes, I was accepted” from the University at Albany.
“I said, ‘Yes, I’m going to college!'” Garrett recalled.
Letters of acceptance came in from universities across the country, including the University of Michigan, New York University, Columbia University, Boston University, Georgetown University, Barnard College, and Vassar College.
But Garrett waited until March 28, when all eight Ivy League schools would send out emails informing prospective students of their acceptance or rejection.
“The first one to open was from Cornell University. [University]and when it was “yes,” it was life-changing… but when I opened Harvard University [University]I was literally screaming,” Garrett said.
“Deep down, it’s always been Harvard for me,” said Garrett, who plans to double major in political science and physics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and won’t be taking it easy.
“I’m super excited. I can’t wait,” she said.
Her mother, Karina Romero, never doubted her daughter’s ability to achieve her goals.
“I’m really proud of her. She always studies and does her best. I’m really happy that she’s able to reap the rewards of all her hard work,” Romero said.
Nicole Brownstein, a spokeswoman for the city Education Department, called her acceptance to 28 colleges “a testament to her hard work and dedication.”
