A lot of people are striving to get accepted into their dream schools or meet the challenge of getting into an Ivy League. Carter Umphress ‘24 did just that. Getting accepted into Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, he did what many students think is impossible. 

With a 4.13 weighted GPA, Umphress did not have to take the ACT. He really started to crack down on academics between his sophomore and junior years of high school when he realized that getting into a top-tier school was a possibility. He made school his first priority and really started to focus on his higher-level classes. This year alone, Umphress took AP Literature, AP Macroeconomics, AP Spanish 4, AP Government, Honors Calculus, Christian Vocations, and Mock Trial. 

His advice for anyone who is trying to achieve this is, “remember that it is possible. It can feel really daunting to apply to these types of schools…And also remember that you are not alone through all of this.” 

While it may seem as though he may have been preparing for this for a long time, getting accepted into a top tier school wasn’t really his goal until between his freshman and sophomore year when he and his parents realized it was challenging, but attainable. 

His academic journey has not all been easy though. He has faced struggles of his own in school. As Umphress said, “there were times when I was very stressed from all the work that I had to do, but I was able to keep myself grounded.” With a strong support system behind him, he got through the tougher classes and the stress of his academic life.   

On top of all his classes, Umphress still finds time for activities in and outside of school. As far as more academic-centered teams and clubs go, he is involved in mock trial and varsity quiz, and for a while he was a member of the speech and debate team. And for sports, he is on the Bishop Gorman swim team. He is also a member of the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, and St. Thomas Aquinas Theology Honor Society, as well as a co-president of the National English Honor Society.

Even with his academic success and involvement in school activities, he still finds time to do great work outside of school and in the community. He is involved in the Core Team at Holy Spirit, which is the team of leaders of the middle school youth group and Confirmation preparation classes. Also at Holy Spirit, he is a eucharistic minister and reader. In the Las Vegas community, he started a non-profit organization called Novel Ideas, as he explained, “to promote literacy among teenagers” (https://www.novelideas.org/). Umphress also has been involved in politics. He shared, “I’ve been a US Senate Page, [and] I worked on a congressional campaign.”

To try and keep a balance between his school life and his extracurriculars while still managing to get into these types of colleges, Umphress shared that to him, it was important to prioritize what was important to him. “I do have a lot of extracurriculars that I do, but I always try to keep myself grounded and remember to put academics first,” he explained. 

Umphress’ academic success is far from a miracle. His dedication to school has shone through in his acceptance into these three schools. He did what most think is unachievable, and he can be an inspiration to any students who are attempting to also get into a top tier school.