Highbridge teen headed for Harvard in the fall

She said she set herself up for success in high school by taking accelerated placement class, being involved in extracurricular activities and doing work outside of school that made a big impact on her community.

Marissa Santorelli

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Jun 28, 2025, 12:15 AM

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Updated 15 hr ago

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Christina Adja is a teen from Highbridge who recently graduated from East Harlem's Central Park East High School.

She was top of her class and is headed to Harvard University in the fall.

She said she set herself up for success in high school by taking accelerated placement class, being involved in extracurricular activities and doing work outside of school that made a big impact on her community.

"I describe all of them as advocacy and education," she said, describing her work outside of school.

Adja said she received 18 acceptances from colleges, three of them were Ivy League schools.

"UPenn, the Wharton School... Yale and Harvard...and I got accepted into all three," she said.

This is the first time this has happened in her school's history,

Adja recounted her application process.

She told News 12 she never intended on applying to Harvard until her mentor encouraged her to apply.

"Girl, just got for it! You're going to regret not going for it," she said her mentor told her.

Growing up a girl from the Bronx, Adja said her commitment to Harvard University is breaking barriers and making her borough, and her family, proud.

"I feel like a lot of people limit themselves... being in this position I feel like I can start paving the way for other kids to have those hopes and dreams for themselves," she said.

Adja said she hopes to study racial disparities in health care and the medical field, and aims to eventually go to law school.