A natural born leader, in the classroom and in the community

Building a website for her high school’s chapter of Key Club International sold incoming freshman Kaila Corrington on studying computer science at Northeastern University.

“I didn’t have any experience writing code for a website,” Corrington recalls, noting her love of math, logic and the pursuit of definitive answers, “but watching a string of characters come to life convinced me.”

Corrington, who will enroll this fall in the College of Computer and Information Science, has been accepted into the inaugural class of the University Scholars Program. The full-tuition program supports highly accomplished future thought leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs who have excelled both in and out of the classroom.

Corrington’s laundry list of accomplishments makes her an ideal fit for the program. She honed her leadership skills, for example, by serving as president of her high school’s chapter of Key Club and editor-in-chief of its yearbook. As a freshman, sophomore and junior, she demonstrated her love of learning by producing 10-minute documentaries on Albert Einstein, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the double-helical structure of DNA, all of which reached statewide competition.

[media-credit id=18 align=”alignleft” width=”226″][/media-credit]A National Merit Scholar who finished at the top of her class in eight different courses, Corrington proclaims that the trick to balancing coursework with extracurricular activities is time management. As she puts it, “If you let yourself fall behind on things, you won’t be able to balance anything.”

The Upland, Calif., native, looks forward to working with her fellow University Scholars, many of whom grew up outside of the United States, in countries such as India, Bolivia and Japan. Students in the accomplished group have recorded albums, created iPhone applications and raised money for orphaned children in Africa.

“I’m going to be surrounded by a great group of students at Northeastern,” Corrington explains. “It’s going to be fun to work with new people in an exciting environment.”

Corrington expressed interest in trying out for Northeastern’s intramural softball team, for which she would like to play third base or center field, and joining the University’s chapter of Circle K, Key Club’s collegiate version.

Her long-term career plans include creating mobile applications for smartphones and building websites for nonprofit organizations.  Participating in Northeastern’s flagship experiential-learning program, she says, would help her reach her goals.

“I’m interested in doing a Dialogue of Civilizations program and studying abroad in Europe,” Corrington says. “I might want to go to Italy, because of its history, but I am sure I will be immersed in the culture and have an amazing experience no matter where I go.”