BERLIN – Harvard University. Yale University. Georgetown University. New York University. Northwestern University. George Washington University. Syracuse University.
These are just a few of the colleges senior Peyton Dunham had to choose from before making her decision to attend Harvard this fall.
Dunham, a student at Stephen Decatur High School (SDHS), began her college applications at the beginning of fall, looking for east coast schools in or near a city where she could pursue her studies in international relations.
“For a long time I thought I wanted to do political science and domestic policy, but after taking AP (Advanced Placement) World History, I realized I definitely wanted to do something more global,” she said.
Dunham ultimately set her sights on Georgetown University and was accepted to the college early in the application process.
“When I was applying to Harvard, I didn’t even really look at it. I just thought ‘Oh, I’ll just apply. Why not? It’s not going to hurt.’ I didn’t even think about going, but once I got in I thought I should probably look at this school and see what they have to offer.”
Peyton Dunham
“When I was applying, Georgetown was where I wanted to go, but Harvard and Yale I didn’t even think about,” she said. “I just thought, ‘Okay, I’ll apply because they have good programs,’ but it wasn’t like it was my dream school.”
But her plans soon changed shortly after received acceptance letters from the two schools at the end of March.
“When I was applying to Harvard, I didn’t even really look at it,” she said. “I just thought ‘Oh, I’ll just apply. Why not? It’s not going to hurt.’ I didn’t even think about going, but once I got in I thought I should probably look at this school and see what they have to offer.”
Shortly after receiving her acceptance letter, Dunham took the trip to Massachusetts.
“I really loved the school and campus and their program,” she said. “So I chose Harvard.”
Dunham plans to study international relations while at Harvard, and hopes to ultimately use her degree for a career in diplomacy.
“I’m flexible with the future job I want, but I’m thinking right now something diplomatic,” she said. “Right now I am thinking about focusing on the Middle East, but that might change.”
Dunham attributes her success and passion for international relations to her AP World History teacher Mary Malone and AP French teacher Darlene McCann.
“I’m really thankful for the teachers I’ve had,” she said. “They are so great and I wouldn’t be here without them. They probably shaped my major the most.”
In her four years at SDHS, Dunham has remained actively involved in several academic and extracurricular activities, including the Student Government Association, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, foreign language club, mock trial, and the school’s cross country and track teams. By the time she graduates high school, she will have completed eight AP courses, two of which are independent studies.
Dunham said her participation in high school and the support of her friends and family were key factors in her academic success.
“They all helped me so much,” she said.
Dunham will begin her first semester at Harvard this August and will join the 5 percent of students who are accepted to the university each year.
“Everyone was really happy for me,” she said. “It was my victory as much as it was my friends’, and family’s.”