16-year-old boy wins $9million scholarship to study in 170 US universities, sets new world record
Dennis, currently a high school senior at the International High School of New Orleans, has achieved something truly extraordinary. He humbly explained that he never initially set out to break records, but as his scholarship journey progressed, he began to grasp the significance of his accomplishment.
Dennis Maliq Barnes, an exceptional 16-year-old from New Orleans, has achieved a remarkable feat by securing an astonishing $9 million scholarship from a total of 170 universities and colleges in the United States. In doing so, he has set a new world record as the first university-bound graduate in US history to attain such an impressive scholarship sum.
Dennis, currently a high school senior at the International High School of New Orleans, has achieved something truly extraordinary. He humbly explained that he never initially set out to break records, but as his scholarship journey progressed, he began to grasp the significance of his accomplishment.
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Dennis Maliq, in an interview with Yahoo, expressed his pride in breaking stereotypes and challenging expectations: "To be able to set the standard and say, as a Black man, I could do more than dribble a ball, I could do more than throw a football or run the fastest—to say that we are mentally and academically capable of surpassing expectations, it's something that I feel good to be leading in right now."
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His scholarship journey was marked by continuous acceptance and financial aid offers as he applied to more schools. The more Dennis applied, the more acceptances and financial aid offers he received, sparking his intrigue. After several acceptances, he was advised that he could set a record, and he decided to go for it.
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Dennis initiated his scholarship applications in August 2022, having applied to over 200 schools across the United States, with some responses still pending.
Dennis Maliq's remarkable achievement surpasses the previous record of $8.7 million in scholarships, set by Normadie Cormier in 2019, as recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. Normadie Cormier, who graduated at the age of 21, received acceptances from 139 universities in the United States.