A high school student In Louisiana has received more than $9m in scholarship offers, an amount that leaves him at least close to clinching what is believed to be a US record.
Dennis Barnes has been offered aid from 125 colleges and universities, after maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 4.98, among other academic accomplishments, at International high school in New Orleans.
Hoping to collect more than $10m in offered scholarships, he is waiting on responses from a number of the 200 colleges to which he applied, school officials said.
“My goal is to reach $10 million,”
he told themedia
That would see Mr Barnes shatter a US record set three years ago by another Louisianan, Normandie Cormier.
Ms Cormier, who attended the historically-black Xavier University of Louisiana and is now completing a master’s degree at Louisiana State University, was offered total aid of $9.4m from some 140 schools in 2019.
Mr Barnes told WWL-TV that his social media “blew up” as word spread of his achievement.
He is a National Honours Society president who is fluent in Spanish, has a near-perfect grade point average (GPA) and is already pursuing college credits at the Southern University at New Orleans.
Applying to so many schools had not been “overwhelming like most people would think,” he added. “I started in the beginning of the school year and over time, over a long period of time, I was applying.”
In a statement released by his school, Mr Barnes said he plans to pursue a dual degree in computer science and criminal justice, and would announce next month which college he plans to attend.
His advice to fellow applicants: “The road to a successful future is to plan ahead, network with the collegiate partners, and know that if you can see your vision, you can achieve your goal.”
