Victorville senior Kyla McFarlin has a big choice to make. Accepted to five of the six Ivy League universities she applied to, plus a string of private universities like USC and UC Berkeley, the future pre-law student has a tough decision ahead of her promising future.
McFarlin graduates this summer with a 4.7 GPA from University Preparatory High School in Victorville due to her enrollment in 10 Advanced Placement courses and multiple honors classes. She has secured formal recognition from the U.S. Congress, the California State Senate and the California State Assembly, as well as a series of local community scholarships.
Serving as president of the Black Student Union and competing as a varsity track athlete, McFarlin also likes to write poetry and short stories or watch ’90s sitcoms when she isn’t tutoring.
Her mother, Priscilla Fuller, told the Daily Press she first caught on to her daughter’s exceptional capabilities at the end of her preschool year. At first a shy, teary-eyed four-year-old, McFarlin soon sprouted academically and skipped kindergarten base on testing.
“I kept the letter requesting that Kyla take the GATE test. From that point on, I knew she was special,” the mother said, adding that she was shocked her daughter got into so many schools and was unaware of the numerous applications she sent out.
“I definitely did not expect to get into all of them,” McFarlin said. For now, she is leaning toward USC or an Ivy League university. She has been accepted to Yale, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University and Cornell University.
A future law student
McFarlin sports an extensive achievement and extracurricular tally. Besides placing 200 points above the SAT average for her entire high school, she also takes part in significant political committees.
McFarlin, the second oldest of five siblings, also takes part in the state-level Youth Action Committee. Her role here includes networking with state legislators to learn how the youth of California can make an impact in their communities.
Additionally, she has a hand in leading a ballot initiative with the City of Adelanto’s Youth for Change Alliance, which ensures that the city’s cannabis tax revenue is used to fund safe spaces and youth centers, including childhood trauma centers.
McFarlin was also one of three students chosen by a democratic vote to serve a two-year term on the Steering Committee with the Victor Valley Unified High School District in partnership with the Community Schools Initiative to oversee that the district’s funds are allocated toward revitalizing centers for students.
The Victorville senior signed herself up for these committees with a pre-law track in mind. She hopes to go into corporate law, which, she says, is something she has always wanted to do, even in childhood.
McFarlin’s family has created a GoFundMe to help support her educational journey. It can be found at https://gofund.me/89af0fee9.
McKenna is a reporter for the Daily Press. She can be reached at mmobley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Victorville student gets into 5 Ivy Leagues including Yale, Princeton
Reporting by McKenna Mobley, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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