Rancho High School graduate making history at Harvard University

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - A Las Vegas graduate from Rancho High School is making history at Harvard University.

John Cooke, 19, has become one of the youngest students to be elected student body co-president.

“Getting to Harvard was a surreal experience,” Cooke said.

Cooke is a sophomore at Harvard studying government and history. He says he dreamed of attending the Air Force Academy but that all changed three years ago.

“During the summer of 2020, I got heavily involved in the Black Lives Matter movement after the death of George Floyd, and that really affected me and my family, and I realized after that that I wanted to shift my career focus to advocacy, to law to and to government,” he added.

Now he’s working to make a difference on campus. He plans to use his new leadership position to expand more mental health resources for students.

He says he came from a middle-class background and hopes his story will inspire other young students to dream big.

“Anything is possible when you put your mind to it, and the number of resources that are in Vegas is not well advertised but if you know where to look, and if you go to your local schools in the community that will help you, there are so many resources that I never imagined,” he said.

Cooke says after he graduates he wants to attend Harvard Law School and then work in politics or law in Las Vegas.

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