Seth Villanueva (12), recently accepted admission to Harvard University, making him the first  student at SJHHS to study at the prestigious institution.

“Going to Harvard has always been my dream since I was in middle school,” said Villanueva.

Harvard was Villanueva’s first choice “basically just because of the multicultural, multi-socioeconomic background of [the University] and just the vibrant society that it brings about,” said Villanueva.

Throughout high school, Villanueva has taken 10 AP courses and has kept up with extracurriculars that set him apart from other applicants.

“I felt like [my acceptance resulted from] my well-rounded character. I mean I have a good GPA and I have a lot of academics going for me. Also athletics. I’m a nationally ranked Taekwondo athlete. And my varied interests like guitar,” said Villanueva.

In addition to Harvard, Villanueva applied to Yale, Princeton, UC Berkeley, UCSD, UCI and UCLA.

Villanueva is planning on doing the dual MBA program with history and business and possibly a minor in economics and as far as a career path, Villanueva said that he is “looking to be a corporate lawyer and maybe become a congressman or public servant.”

“They asked me about my academic passions, social activities, sort of what I like to do as far as just a person, a friend. They asked me about my passion for history and my views on current events, that sort of thing. So I felt like I did pretty well on that,” said Villanueva, referring to his interview with a representative from the University.

Villanueva states that “it feels fantastic” being the first student at SJHHS to attend Harvard. “It’s incredible because I’m essentially representing my community and such a prestigious University.”