Melrose Student Accepted to Tufts University

Pioneer Charter School of Science (PCSS) is pleased to announce that three of its high school seniors have received early acceptance letters from two of the top universities in the country: two from the Ivy League’s Brown University and one from Tufts University.

Seyda Kilic, age 17, of Melrose received her early acceptance letter from Tufts University. Seyda has the highest GPA in Pioneer’s history and will be Valedictorian of her class this year. Seyda plans to study Neuroscience.

“Seyda has been an invaluable addition to our PCSS community. She’s taken almost every AP course our school has to offer, and has truly gone above and beyond,” Barish Icin, CEO at PCCS, said. “We know she will have great success in any endeavor she sets her sights on.”

Leila Paul, age 17, of Everett and Pedro Monteiro Borges, age 18, of Revere were accepted to the Ivy League’s Brown University. Both seniors are in the top 10 percent of their class and are the first Pioneer students to be accepted at Brown since 2012.

Leila was also admitted into Brown’s highly competitive PLME Medical Program that only accepts 90 students nationwide. This program is designed as an eight-year program. It combines liberal arts and professional education to enable each student to develop advanced-level competence in a chosen field of scholarship culminating in a medical degree.

Leila would like to become a cardiothoracic surgeon one day.

Pedro plans to study computational biology.

“A huge congratulations to Leila and Pedro,” Icin said. “It’s the first time in PCSS history that two students from the same graduating class were admitted into the same Ivy league school. Their remarkable dedication has certainly paid off and we look forward to their future successes in college and beyond.”

About PCSS
With schools in Everett (PCSS I) and Saugus (PCSS II), Pioneer Charter School of Science offers a rigorous academic curriculum emphasizing math, science, and analytical thinking skills balanced by a strong foundation in the humanities. The school offers extended days/hours and career-oriented college preparation. Students must pass five math and five science classes in order to graduate - more than state standards, and students must complete 40 hours of community service. The school has a 195-day school calendar, extended days, after school tutoring and “voluntary” Saturday classes for students who need extra help.