Arp's Maddie Poole accepted into Harvard (2024)

Since she was in junior high, Maddie Poole has dreamt of going to Harvard. No matter what her field of study was going to be, she knew Harvard was her top school.

So when the Arp High School student found out at a track meet that she got accepted into her dream school, she was ecstatic.

“There were definitely tears shed when I gave my family the news,” Poole said. “(They are) very excited for me and supportive.”

Poole is Arp's salutatorian and is one of the 1,937 students accepted into the Ivy League institution out of 54,008 applicants. Those numbers show the university only has a 3.59% acceptance rate.

“I (chose) Harvard because it will give me the best possible foundational education for when I apply to graduate school,” Poole said. “I intend to eventually get a doctorate in virology, so getting the best education possible is crucial to get to that point.”

Arp High School counselor Julie Allen said getting accepted into Harvard is ‘a great honor.’

“(It) shows that small schools can also prepare students to compete academically if they are willing to put in the hard work,” she said. “She has worked very hard to qualify for admission. It took four years of sustained effort with no excuses as to academic performance.”

Poole has applied to multiple scholarships; she has not received her financial aid or scholarship package from Harvard. According to Arp ISD, most scholarships will be announced in early May.

In addition to acceptance to the prestigious Ivy League institute, Poole has a lengthy list of achievements on her high school and professional resume already, including serving as the high school band's drum major for the last two years.

She advanced from being clarinet section leader, where she taught 25 students, to becoming the solo drum major teaching and directing all 100 members of her high school band.

“Maddie is humble and through her servant leadership stands out,” said Arp ISD band director Chris Cook. “Without a doubt she is gifted, musically and academically. She didn’t limit her dreams and now she is stepping out to take another step towards achieving those dreams.”

Poole also has played piano and clarinet for the Arp High School Jazz Band at concerts and festivals throughout the year. She is secretary for Arp High School's chapter of the National Honor Society. She is the yearbook publisher and index editor, creating pages and maintaining proper spelling.

She served as a project leader and library volunteer at the Gunter Library and Museum Community Resource Center.

“Maddie is not one to bring a lot of attention to herself,” said assistant band director Christy Rodriguez. “ I told her that the recognition she is receiving is about more than just her. This is about showing all the kids in Arp that a student from a smaller school/town can achieve big things.”

While she saw achievements as a band student at Arp, she has no plans on continuing marching band. She hopes to be part of either a concert band or a small pep band but says she will make those plans once she gets to Harvard.

"I am most looking forward to being a part of a community of people all focused on diversity, inclusivity, and academic success,” Poole said.

Poole’s field of study going to Harvard will be microbiology. She plans to work in the research field with CRISPR (“clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats”) technology for genetic modification so she can help reduce the amount of people born with harmful congenital conditions.

“I’m proud that Maddie will be representing the best of small schools on a large stage,” Cook said. “With all my heart I believe Harvard is getting a gift. They are fortunate to have her as a student.”

—Scott can be reached at jscott@tylerpaper.com