Tiffany Lopinsky is This Week's Whiz Kid

Stoneham Patch Whiz Kid of the Week

• Tiffany Lopinsky, 18
• Accomplishment: Lopinsky will be graduating from Stoneham High at the end of May and has been accepted by Harvard University.

Key to Awesomeness: Lopinsky was at a friend’s house working on a lab for her physics class when she received an email from Harvard that came to her phone with the subject line: “Your Application to Harvard University.” Lopinsky was quite nervous and turned to her friend and asked if she should open the link.

“I read the first three words that said ‘I am delighted…’ and I just screamed and made my friend read over the email to make sure I actually got in,” Lopinsky said. “Then I called all of my family and friends and I emailed all of the teachers that I promised I would let know if I was accepted as soon as I found out.

"For a few weeks after I was accepted, the whole thing felt so surreal. I was in shock and it took a while for me to realize that I was actually going to Harvard.”

Lopinsky said she is extremely honored to be attending the Ivy League school next year.

“My whole high school career I’ve worked very hard, and being accepted, for me, was evidence that my work had paid off,” Lopinsky said. “More importantly though, I’m extremely grateful to everyone in the Stoneham High School community that helped me get to this point. I have had some amazing teachers and mentors during my four years at SHS and I owe much of my success to them. They supported me and pushed me to do my best and I’m so thankful for that.”

Applying for early admission for high school students can be a stressful time and for Lopinsky, it was no different.

“I applied for early admission to Harvard and I was accepted in mid-December and because it was my first-choice school and I found out really early that I got in, I did not apply to any other colleges,” Lopinsky said. “I was really surprised I got in because I knew that my chances were slim and Harvard has one of the lowest acceptance rates in the country, so I was shocked that I was chosen for a spot in their class of 2016.”

Lopinsky wasn't sure if she'd get into Harvard, but she was ecstatic once she learned that she did.

“Actually, a few weeks leading up to the date they were releasing the decisions and I convinced myself that I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high and be disappointed,” Lopinsky said. “That made it even better when I actually did get in because I was so shocked.”

Her favorite subject in school currently is government and Lopinsky thinks it is very applicable to the world we live in today.

“I really look forward to the class everyday because we have some great discussions,” Lopinsky said. “We talk about current events and debate about politics and I find it extremely interesting. Especially now because I am eligible to vote, everything I learn in the class is very relevant and I think that makes it much more riveting.”

Lopinsky has not yet decided what she will study at Harvard, but she is considering either Economics or Government, but admits she is open to anything.

“Honestly, I’m interested in so many things that it is going to be really hard for me to pick one area of study to concentrate in,” Lopinsky said. “I mean, if you told me a few years from now that I was concentrating in Russian Literature or Neurobiology, I wouldn’t be surprised. My range of interest is very broad. I am going to just take a bunch of classes and see what I’m most interested in then I will decide what my official major will be.”

Lopinsky has a bright future ahead of her and as her high school years are coming to an end, she has already put forth some goals she would like to accomplish in this new chapter of her life.

“I feel that so many people want to go to college just so that they can get a good job and makes huge amounts of money, but I want to keep away from that,” Lopinsky said. “I want to use my education to do something with my life that I find really meaningful even if that doesn’t mean making a lot of money. Part of what drew me to Harvard was my sense that I could fulfill that goal there. The students there are so passionate, the academics are unparalleled and the resources seem almost unlimited. With these factors, it seemed that any goal I wanted to achieve at Harvard would be possible.”