Henry Harrison and Harvey Perlman should be getting used to sharing a stage.
In 2010, Harrison was one of fewer than 10,000 students nationwide to earn a perfect score of 36 on the reading section of the ACT. His cumulative score of 32 placed him among the top 2 percent.
That’s a stellar feat for any high schooler looking to impress prospective college suitors. Even better: Harrison was 12 years old at the time.
Later that year, he became the first eighth-grader ever to receive a full scholarship offer from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln – an offer that Perlman announced in front of Harrison’s entire school.
“I didn’t know this at the time, but the chancellor had talked to my parents,” said Harrison, an Omaha native. “One day I was at middle school, and they announced there was an assembly. Then they called me up on stage, and the chancellor gave me the scholarship. It was kind of a surprise.”
In August, exactly 1,775 days after Perlman extended that offer, Harrison became a Husker. And to kick off the Sept. 30 State of the University address, Harrison again joined Perlman on stage to receive recognition for earning the Regents Scholarship.
The boy who once made his name through reading is now a UNL freshman double-majoring in computer science and computer engineering. It’s a fitting journey considering that technology helped set Harrison on the path to his remarkable ACT performance.
“I learned to read using a computer, actually,” Harrison said. “I had a program that taught me the alphabet.”
Though 2010 stood out primarily for Perlman’s visit, it’s also when Harrison joined a school club that built computers from spare parts and donated the resulting machines to families in need.
“That was a point that really sticks out,” he said. “I learned a lot about computers then, and it sparked my interest in them.”
Having mastered the nuances of English as a youngster, Harrison has now turned his attention to the programming languages of Java and C during his first semester at UNL.
“I only have one real computer science class (this semester), but that class has been awesome,” said Harrison, who scored a 35 on the ACT in high school. “It’s part of the Honors Program, which I’m really enjoying because we move a little faster than the other classes.”
Though Harrison said he’ll likely attend graduate school after earning his bachelor’s degree, he is leaving his options open for the time being.
“Really, I just want to take more computer science classes,” Harrison said. “Beyond that, I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.”
Count Perlman among those who will be keeping an eye on Harrison’s journey, wherever it may lead.
“Five years after we extended a scholarship to Henry, it’s great to finally see him here on campus,” Perlman said. “We’re very glad he decided to join the UNL family, and I know our faculty look forward to helping him reach his vast potential.
“Henry epitomizes the wealth of talent found throughout Nebraska. I think we’re all excited to see what he can achieve over the next four years and beyond.”
