This year, Harvard University admitted just 5.9% of applicants, a testament to the school's centuries-long tradition of excellence.
Narrowing down the 6,700-person student body to just a handful of go-getters was a challenge John Harvard himself wouldn't have struggled with any less. We spoke with campus leaders, sought the counsel of student journalists, and combed the internet to find the 19 Harvard College undergrads who will knock your socks off.
The semester may have just started, but these kids are already hard at work, making breakthroughs in cancer research, launching innovative startups, and creating a better community at Harvard.
David Boone overcame homelessness to achieve his dream of working in tech.
Class of 2016
David Boone grew up in a violent Cleveland neighborhood, and lost his home when a gang burned it down for Boone's refusing to join them. Boone still managed to make excellent grades and, now a junior, received a coveted spot in Microsoft's Co-Op program.
This past summer Boone worked as a Software Development Engineer In Test intern in Microsoft's Seattle office, a step up from the previous summer when he worked as a Software Developer intern. In the Co-Op program, which starts in the spring, Boone will work out of the New England Research and Development Center, one of just a few undergraduate interns among mainly Ph.D. and graduate students.
On campus, Boone is the founder of the Harvard Undergraduate Robotics club. HURC solves real-world problems by designing robots "that defy traditional applications to solve everyday problems," says Boone. He and members of HURC collaborate together and compete in robotics competitions.
Boone is also a passionate photographer who loves experimenting with his DSLR. His life goal, he says, is to change the world, and plans to get there by starting his own company next summer.
Shree Bose runs a startup that teaches kids about computers by having them build some.
Class of 2016
Shree Bose co-founded Piper, a start-up currently based in San Francisco which gives kids hands-on lessons in computers and coding by having them build their own computers.
The company, now about nine months old, was just accepted into an accelerator program in Silicon Valley. Most of Bose's team is moving out there to work on Piper full-time while Bose continues her degree and plans a Kickstarter campaign to raise more funds.
The molecular and cellular biology major made headlines back in high school through her study of the protein AMP kinase and its reaction with the cancer chemotherapy drug Cisplatin. She noticed that when she inhibited AMP kinase, Cisplatin began destroying cancer cells, leading to a breakthrough, first prize at the Google Science Fair, and praise from President Obama.
At Harvard, Bose serves as a student EMT on campus. She says she doesn't have a firm five-year plan laid out, but hopes to do something related to medicine and science when she graduates.
Eric Chen discovered a new type of drug to treat the flu.
Class of 2018
Chen's Intel Science Talent Search-winning project involved finding compounds capable of blocking endonuclease, an enzyme that the influenza virus needs to spread. His research could lead to new, more effective drugs to treat the highly contagious illness. His Intel prize includes copious bragging rights, a serious résumé builder, and $100,000.
But the modest Chen told his hometown newspaper, The San Diego Union-Tribune, that he didn't expect to win Intel, despite the fact that he won the grand prize at the 2013 Google Science Fair and the top individual honor at the 2013 Siemens competition.
Chen's interest in new treatments for the flu was sparked by the 2009 H1N1 "swine flu" outbreak, which first appeared in the U.S. in the San Diego area.
When he's not curing the flu, Chen plays piano and tutors Mandarin-speaking elders in computer skills. He just began his first semester at Harvard and is considering a career in academia or social entrepreneurship.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider