Norwalk High School senior Maria Fe Luque (top left in the Zoom meeting with Secretary Cardona) is going to Harvard University in the fall with a full-ride scholarship! She will be a first-generation college student.

Here is a Facebook video capturing the moment Maria first looked upon her online acceptance notification from Harvard yesterday morning.

Here is the video clip of Maria’s interview yesterday on News12 in which Maria speaks about her passion for American history.

"This is our country. That's amazing that people from so long ago established a foundation for today, and what everything's based on today," she said. Luque is taking that passion to Harvard on a full scholarship this fall. She says the language barrier never stopped her parents from being her biggest cheerleaders.

"They pushed me so much, in Spanish...all the way," said Luque.

Many of our students dream of going to Ivy League schools. Even if a student is special enough to be accepted, the steep costs that come with attending elite schools can end the dream right there. A full-ride scholarship makes this dream come true.

Of course, Maria has been special since she arrived in Norwalk from Peru in the first grade. And just not in academics. Maria is also an athlete, among other sports she has been on the Bears volleyball team for all four of her high school years.

Recently Maria represented Norwalk High School in a panel of students speaking with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. All Norwalk Public Schools students and staff tuned into the live stream of the discussion. The education secretary spent a half-hour answering questions about his journey as a young student in Connecticut. The eight students chosen for the panel were first-generation Americans or those whose first language was not English. Maria had to learn English when she entered primary school, much like Cardona, who entered kindergarten speaking only Spanish. Norwalk Public Schools students speak 59 languages and come from 70 different countries.

As reported by The Hour, Maria especially appreciated her time with Secretary Cardona on behalf of her mother who was watching the Livestream and still learning to speak English. “She understands some English, but when he spoke in Spanish, I’m like, she definitely knows what’s going on. She definitely knows the message that’s coming through,” Fe Luque said.

Harvard admitted just 3.19% of applicants to its class of 2026, the lowest admit rate in its history. Harvard also received a record number of applications, 7% more than last year’s record number! Notorious for its low acceptance rate, Harvard admitted just 1,954 students from the 61,220 students who applied. Maria will be joining students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, US overseas territories, and 98 countries.