‘Top notch’ Newark high school student accepted to 7 Ivy League schools
Angel Ortiz
By Sonia Rincón
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NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) — A high school student in Newark has a big decision to make after he was accepted to seven Ivy League universities.
Angel Ortiz, a senior at Arts High School, wants to study political science and now he just has to decide where.
This week, Ortiz was accepted to Yale after already being admitted to Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Columbia, Brown and Princeton.
“I had a feeling I could get into more than one Ivy, but never did I anticipate getting into every one I applied to,” said Ortiz, a 17-year-old first-generation Latino student from the Ironbound section of Newark. “I’m still processing it. When the notifications came in, I spent two hours walking around the kitchen in shock, while my mom sat there in disbelief.”
Ortiz plans to visit several campuses before making his final decision.
“These are all seven institutions that are world class…they all offer something that I want to pursue,” Ortiz said.
His mother said when she came to the United States 23 years ago, Princeton was a dream destination. And now it’s close to reality for her son.
Ortiz’s commitment to his school work comes from his parents. His father owns a pizza shop and urges his son to always finish what he started.
“I always tell them, the way I work hard for you guys, that’s the way you guys got to work, this is for your future, this is for you,” Mariano Ortiz said.
Ortiz’s AP teacher called the 17-year-old the ideal student.
“If I ask a question and every kid in the class doesn’t understand it, they just point, Angel knows it, and so he’s always top notch, always on his game,” teacher Sean Kenny said.
He said the acceptances to the seven prestigious schools are a tribute to his family’s sacrifices and a symbol of possibility for his community.
“As a first-generation Latino son of immigrants, I know that avenues like college are much harder to access for people like us,” Ortiz said. “I hope that now, during my college life, and in my future career, I can be the best representation of my community and loved ones.”
After he majors in political science, he hopes to work as a lawyer, government official or researcher.
Ortiz has to make his final decision by April 30 — his 18th birthday.
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