From blue-collar to blue-blooded.
A New Jersey high school senior and class valedictorian defied the odds — and his own expectations — by getting accepted to seven Ivy League schools.
Angel Ortiz, who attends Arts High School in Newark, was flabbergasted when he received acceptance letters from elite universities Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and Brown, as well as the University of Pennsylvania and Dartmouth College.
The 17-year-old, who scored an impressive 1480 on his SATs and 34 on the ACTs, said opening his admission letters one by one with his mother was a moment he’ll never forget.
Angel Ortiz, a senior at Newark’s Arts High School, has been accepted to seven Ivy League institutions. Tamara Beckwith“I never expected something like that to happen,” Ortiz told The Post, explaining that he received his acceptance letter from Princeton in December and the rest in March.
“It was always in my mind that I could have gotten into one Ivy League, but multiple? I knew it was a small chance of happening but I decided to apply anyway ’cause why not? And so opening up those applications and seeing that my work was worth it and was good enough to be considered by these elite institutions was just incredible.”
Ortiz, who has a 4.3 GPA and wants to major in political science, credits his supportive parents and teachers for inspiring him at a young age to break out of his shell, forge connections and establish friendships with his classmates.
Arts High School is a magnet public school in Newark, New Jersey.
The Garden State youngster said he was a “reserved introvert” when he entered high school and now has a group of friends who have encouraged him throughout his academic career and served as a positive outlet whenever he needed a shoulder to lean on.
“My parents and my teachers inspired me to be the best person I could be, so that’s when I started to develop myself, trust people more often and become a more outgoing person in general,” Oritz said.
“I very much appreciate all the help I got from all of my friends. I love them so very much.”
When the teen isn’t busy hanging with his friends, creating abstract art and still lifes, reading fiction novels, researching history and geography or listening to Taylor Swift, he is deeply engaged in his student life, serving as treasurer of the National Arts Honor Society.
Ortiz is also a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and the Peer Leadership program. He also participates in NJLEEP, a program that supports underrepresented students with college readiness and legal education.
“It’s been quite a busy experience trying to manage all of those activities and being the best that I could be in all of them,” Ortiz, a first-generation Latino of immigrant parents, said.
Ortiz attributes his work ethic to his parents, who both emigrated to the US. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST“I’ve worked a lot throughout these past four years, not just on my academics and extracurricular work but also on my character and developing myself as a whole. I feel incredibly grateful that all these colleges were able to recognize my efforts throughout these past few years.”
His school, which named Ortiz this year’s valedictorian, called his accomplishments an inspiration.
“Angel’s acceptance to seven Ivy League institutions is a personal triumph and a powerful symbol of what is possible for young people in Newark,” Roger León, superintendent of Newark’s schools, said in a statement.
“His story inspires us all. We are incredibly proud of Angel, whose remarkable academic journey is a testament to our school’s strength, our educators’ dedication, our supportive parents and our students’ resilience.”
In addition to his friends, Ortiz credits his mother, who emigrated to the United States 23 years ago, and his father, who are part-owners of two family-run pizzerias in Belleville and Philipsburg, for empowering his studies and imbuing his impressive work ethic.
His mother, Madurina, is very proud and supports whatever school Ortiz ends up choosing to attend — but is quietly hoping he picks Princeton so her son can remain close to home.
“It was incredible. I was very surprised but I knew he could do it,” said Madurina, whose eldest daughter recently graduated from New York University.
Ortiz reveals his acceptance letters. Tamara Beckwith“I wanted them to focus on school, and that’s all we asked, so this is the result. I’m so happy — my two kids are very, very good kids. It’s a gift for us.”
Ortiz is still weighing his options but plans to tour the prestigious institutions of higher learning in the coming days and weeks before making his final decision — which needs to be made by his 18th birthday on April 30.
The civic-minded student, who intends to pursue a career in law, is looking for a school that offers his field of study, a diverse community of students and academics, and an environment where he can share his perspectives and freely express his individuality.
“All of these colleges are very prestigious and offer a lot of what I want,” Ortiz said.
“But for now, it comes down to visiting the colleges, seeing what they offer, and exploring the community further in-depth to see where I fit in.”
The vaunted institutions that have opened their storied gates to the neophyte from Newark boast the nation’s stingiest acceptance rates — Harvard 3.6%; Yale 3.7%; Columbia 3.85%; Princeton 4.62%; Brown 5.16%; UPenn 5.38%; and Dartmouth 5.41%, according to Ivy Coach.
The only Ivy Ortiz did not apply to, Cornell University, has a 9.73% acceptance rate, according to the data.
