Parkland Teen Who Met With Trumps Snubbed By Harvard Over Remarks

PARKLAND, FL — A conservative Parkland survivor and Second Amendment advocate who famously met with President Trump and first lady Melania Trump in the days following the horrific school shooting in which 17 of his classmates and faculty members were gunned down, has been snubbed by Harvard University admissions officials over what the teenager conceded was "abhorrent, racial slurs" he made when he was 16.

Kyle Kashuv said on social media Monday that the university rescinded his acceptance to the Harvard Class of 2023 over texts and comments he made prior to the mass shooting.

"A few weeks ago, I was made aware of egregious and callous comments classmates and I made privately years ago — when I was 16 years old, months before the shooting — in an attempt to be as extreme and shocking as possible," Kashuv tweeted. "I immediately apologized."

Kashuv said "former peers and political opponents" urged Harvard to rescind his acceptance. He posted a copy of the letter sent to him by Harvard in which officials said the school "reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission under various conditions" and requested a written explanation within 72 hours.

"My intent was never to hurt anyone and to do so would have magnified the harm immensely," Kashuv responded in a separate letter he also shared. "I also feel I am no longer the same person, especially in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting and all that has transpired since."

Kashuv said he received a very different response when he reached out via email to Harvard's Office of Diversity and Inclusion to seek guidance on how to "right this wrong" and work through the issue.

"We appreciate your thoughtful reflections and look forward to connecting with you upon your matriculation in the fall of 2020," the Office of Diversity said in its response. "In the interim, I encourage you to search online for different ways to connect to local organizations and resources within your community."

Kashuv said he gave up "huge scholarships" that have since expired to go to Harvard and that he is exploring his options.

"Harvard deciding that someone can’t grow, especially after a life-altering event like the shooting, is deeply concerning," said Kashuv. "If any institution should understand growth, it’s Harvard, which is looked to as the pinnacle of higher education despite its checkered past."

He added that Harvard’s faculty has included "slave owners, segregationists, bigots and antisemites" during its history.

"If Harvard is suggesting that growth isn't possible and that our past defines our future, then Harvard is an inherently racist institution," Kashuv said. "But I don't believe that."

Watch video of Kyle Kashuv's meeting with President Trump and first lady Melania Trump courtesy of the White House: