A high school student from New Orleans may have set a new record for the highest amount of scholarship money offered, according to local New Orleans news station WWL-TV.
Dennis Barnes, a senior at International High School of New Orleans (IHSNO), received a whopping $9 million in scholarship offers from 125 colleges and universities, according to the outlet — beating out the previous Guinness Book of World Records holder Normadie Cormier.
Cormier, a senior at Lafayette high school previously set the record after receiving $8.7 million in scholarships from more than 130 colleges in 2019.
“I submitted college applications in August, with an eye on raising the bar high for college admissions. Decision letters were an overflow in my mailbox and hundreds of scholarship offers,” Barnes told WWL-TV of the achievement.
IHSNO told the news station that Barnes had applied to over 200 schools across the country, and decision letters are still coming in from colleges and universities, so the scholarship tally may end up being higher.
Barnes, who is eyeing a dual undergraduate degree in computer science and criminal justice, told the news station that his goal is to reach $10 million in offered scholarships by the end of the month.
IHSNO said Barnes has a cumulative grade point average of 4.98 and has leadership positions in the National Honor Society. The high school said he is also fluent in Spanish and received the Jose Luis Baños Award for Excellence in Spanish Language by the Honorary Consul of Spain in New Orleans.
In addition to being enrolled in IHSNO, he has also been taking classes and earning college credits at Southern University of New Orleans over the past two years, per WWL-TV.
Discussing his advice for seniors in the college application process, Barnes recommended they “plan ahead” and keep their goal in mind.
“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.”
He is slated to make a decision on which college or university to attend on May 2 and will graduate high school on May 24. (People)