Perkins student to attend Harvard

PERKINS TWP. — In third grade, Kamryn Ohly sought to attend Harvard University. "I knew the name and wanted to go there," she said. Then, in January 2020 during the TechTogether coding competition in Boston, she and some friends walked around the Ivy League school's campus for fun. Now her vision has come full circle. The Perkins High School senior decided she will attend Harvard in the fall. It's believed that Ohly will be one of the first Perkins graduates to attend the prestigious university, Perkins Schools officials said. She received an acceptance message on April 6 during a track meet. "I just finished running the two-mile race when I checked and found out," Ohly said. "Harvard definitely threw a curveball. Out of all the schools I applied to, I thought Harvard would be the hardest." She committed to the university soon after being accepted. "I'm still in shock about it," Ohly said. "Harvard was one of the last schools I heard from." The journey to Harvard The Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ivy League school is one of the most selective universities in the United States. In 2020, Harvard saw a little more than 40,000 applications for admission but only accepted 2,000 students, or 5%, its website states. This year, the university had 57,000 applicants but hasn't shared how many were accepted. Ohly recently attended virtual welcome-week events hosted by Harvard for incoming freshmen. She plans to study computer science, a subject she's known well since starting computer coding in middle school. With coding, programmers build specific sequences to build anything from computer programs to websites and video games. In seventh grade, Ohly was one of 60 students in the United States selected to participate in Kode with Klossy, a computer science program created by model Karlie Kloss to teach basic coding skills to girls. "Kode With Klossy was a huge moving point in my life. Before that, I had no experience in coding," Ohly said. While in Boston for the TechTogether competition, she realized that coding is her passion. "My life goal is to help close the gender gap in computer science and take away the stereotype that only guys can code," she said. When she graduates from Harvard, Ohly hopes to begin a career in app development. She credits her teachers and family for helping her succeed. "I wouldn't be here without all of my teachers, especially Mr. Leffler for computer science, and the school in general. People have just been so excited and supportive. I knew people would be super supportive no matter where I ended up, but they've been excited for me." As for her family — mother Jane, father Duane and sister Taylor: "I've always known Sandusky and the roller coast all my life, but they've been supportive for me and my decision to go to Harvard," she said. Advice for success Up to this point in her high school career, Ohly has learned important life lessons that she's sharing with her peers. "Stop being that perfect match and take your time figuring out what you interested in," she said. "If you chase down your interests, the grades won't matter. When you focus on that and what makes you happy, success will follow. In addition, Ohly recommends getting out of one's comfort zone and finding the balance between work and rest. "Once you find that equilibrium, you'll be better off," she said. The advice has paid off for her. Perkins High School principal Jeff Harbal said Ohly is at the top of her graduating class with a 4.25 GPA. She's taken 13 Advanced Placement or college credit classes during high school and has participated in band, track, National Honor Society, has been a member of the Firelands Challenge quiz team and more. "She's the definition of a well-rounded student," he said. "We're super excited for Kamryn — she is an extremely hard worker. She's a once-in-a-generation student and we're happy to have her at Perkins." Activities and accomplishments Ohly's notable achievements include: • Being named a National Merit finalist, representing less than 1% of all high school seniors in the United States • Earning this year's Franklin B. Walter scholarship award given to one student in each of Ohio's 88 counties • Receiving Bloomberg's Best Philanthropic Hack and the Best Political Polarization Hack for an app she and her teammates created at TechTogether Boston competition in 2020; The app had the ability to allow the user to identify and reach out to those in local government as well as influential legislators to incite change. • Finishing second in the Ohio Ninth District's inaugural Congressional App Challenge, a competition for high school students living in Lucas, Ottawa, Erie, Lorain and Cuyahoga counties to inspire interest in computer science; Students were challenged to hone their coding skills to create a useful app. • Shadowing science and technology professionals at NASA Plum Brook in Perkins Township and Sierra Lobo in Milan • Winning the 2019 Aspirations in Computing award by the National Center for Women & Information Technology, an organization that supports and promotes programs for women in technology; Ohly was among 400 young women in the U.S. to be honored. The award was in part for a coding club she started at Briar Middle School to show younger students how to program websites. Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com and follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood