Renier Pupo have received offers from both Yale and Duke. (Caloosa Belle/Geoffrey Ionescu)

Renier Pupo from LaBelle High School has gotten offers from both Yale and Duke University. He has spent last summer at Duke University: “I went to Duke for the summer because I really wanted to expand my education outside of LHS,” Renier explains, “I found out that they had a summer program, after talking to my parents I applied for their summer school. A day later I received my letter of acceptance from Duke.”

Renier will graduate in May 2019 at 16 years young: “I currently have dual-enrollment. I am also enrolled in FSW, so I get extra credits. I am taking Biology, Psychology and Micro-economics at FSW. After I graduate I really want to study astrophysics. It really got my interest when I attended Duke last summer. They offered me financial aid through grants at Duke so I wouldn’t have to pay for my degree.”

“I like college better than high school because there is more responsibility but also more liberty. I got to know a lot of Chinese culture over the summer because they had a lot of Chinese students there, which was really fun,” Renier says.

“Recently, I was also contacted by Yale University that they are interested in me. So I will be applying there as well. Yale is the Ivy league so I would be very excited if they accept me, and Duke is also a very good school. Either way, I am excited and I know that the hard work that I am putting in now is going to pay off later.”