{"id":11253,"date":"2023-05-15T11:47:11","date_gmt":"2023-05-15T15:47:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=11253"},"modified":"2023-05-15T12:30:19","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T16:30:19","slug":"high-school-senior-who-received-10m-in-scholarship-offers-makes-college-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2023\/05\/high-school-senior-who-received-10m-in-scholarship-offers-makes-college-decision.html","title":{"rendered":"High School Senior Who Received $10M in Scholarship Offers Gives All the Glory to God"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"dennis<\/a>
International High School New Orleans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dennis \u201cMaliq\u201d Barnes, the 16-year-old high school senior who earned scholarship offers from over 150 schools, recently announced his college decision at a news conference. Barnes said at his New Orleans high school campus, \u201cToday, I am pleased to announce my final college decision for the fall of 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cIt is an honor and privilege to be accepted to the Ivy League Cornell University\u2019s College of Engineering in Ithaca, New York.\u201d Wearing a red and white Cornell sweatshirt, Barnes received applause and cheers from his parents, school officials and press conference attendees. He said, \u201cI express great gratitude for the support system both in high school, at home and professors at the collegiate level. I have committed\u00a0to Cornell University\u00a0and intend to pursue computer science to later move on to practice software development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barnes reportedly set a record for total dollars in scholarship awards, reaching over $10.1 million from more than 150 out of 188 American universities and colleges that he\u2019s been accepted to. Barnes told Fox News Digital, \u201cThis whole experience that I\u2019m having right now has given me a sense of gratitude for everything that I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cI give all the glory to God because He played a huge role in everything that I\u2019m doing today and all of my success. I thank Him for allowing me to get through, even when I didn\u2019t want to. Days may be hard. I may be tired. I may be having a bad week, but He always lifted me up to be able to move forward.\u201d Barnes had scholarships and college acceptances from around the country, from the University of Arkansas and the University of Iowa to Kansas State and Louisiana Tech.<\/p>\n

Barnes said he started his college application process in August last year, adding, \u201cBreaking a record wasn\u2019t necessarily a goal or something I set out to do. I am just a college-bound student, seeking somewhere where I\u2019m comfortable, that has a great program in my major, and that\u2019s going to\u00a0compensate me financially.\u201d<\/p>\n