California High School Graduate
Chooses Swarthmore Over Ivy

by Alisa Giardinelli
8/23/11

Yared Portillo sports Swarthmore gear on the front steps of her high school. 

To come to Swarthmore this fall, Yared Portillo of Santa Maria, Calif., turned down acceptances to several Ivy schools, including Harvard and Yale. "I'm doing what makes me happy," says the Santa Maria High School valedictorian in her hometown newspaper.

Portillo, who wrote for her school's newspaper the past four years, adds that she hopes to spend a good deal of time in The Phoenix newsroom at Swarthmore. "I absolutely love the inky feel of newspapers," she says.

Portillo is interested in education, public policy, and political science. Whatever she chooses to study, Portillo says it will be for a career that allows her to continue her interest in civic engagement.