UMC suburban college student lied about background to become prestigious Rhodes Scholar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you defenders please explain this one away????

Read this part of the complaint:

29 “Additionally, I partially support my younger sister, who will be starting college soon. I will then have the additional strain of working to put her through school and ensure her basic living expenses are met. Because she also has special needs, additional resources such as medication, testing, learning aids, and more create further expenses throughout this process.” She wrote the same in her 2018-2019 PFAS form. Ms. Shaw told OSC that Mackenzie has not provided, and that there was no reason to believe it would become necessary to provide, “basic living expenses” or medical costs for Cat (who does have learning challenges). Asked about this, Mackenzie told OSC (and it was separately confirmed) that Mackenzie set up a 529 account for her sister to use towards higher education. OSC understands that the account has approximately $6,000 in it at this point. According to Mackenzie, the seed money for this account may have come from her biological father, although she does not quite remember.

So she tried to scheme more financial aid out of Penn by using a special needs half sister who lives with the dad she allegedly has no relationship with?????

*crickets*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I haven't read most of this thread but I just want to say that, with Questbridge, I wonder if the high school doesn't have some blame. My kid was an abuse survivor and included that in their college essays years ago. The MCPS guidance counselor called me and verified the information. In a way, I was thankful because he later told us that several of the colleges called to verify the information also.

I posted this. Just to clarify, he didn't just verify with me. He actually called the elementary school to verify it.

My hunch is the more elite schools on her Questbridge list smelled the fictitious crap from a mile away. Only Penn was duped.

Who’s more elite than Penn and Oxford?

HYPSMC and Oxford.

So your answer is . . . Almost no one.

And Oxford didn’t catch it either.

It wasn’t Oxford. It was the Rhodes Committee, acting in large art upon the candidate’s support from Penn. Rhodes Scholarships offer are unusual I. That they are “unqualified”. All the others gained through the normal, difficult admissions process are “qualified” meaning you have to submit your final goa, you have to get your undergrad degree in your standing, and that the student ir parents have to submit certified bank records indicating that you have the assets to finish the two or three three year program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you defenders please explain this one away????

Read this part of the complaint:

29 “Additionally, I partially support my younger sister, who will be starting college soon. I will then have the additional strain of working to put her through school and ensure her basic living expenses are met. Because she also has special needs, additional resources such as medication, testing, learning aids, and more create further expenses throughout this process.” She wrote the same in her 2018-2019 PFAS form. Ms. Shaw told OSC that Mackenzie has not provided, and that there was no reason to believe it would become necessary to provide, “basic living expenses” or medical costs for Cat (who does have learning challenges). Asked about this, Mackenzie told OSC (and it was separately confirmed) that Mackenzie set up a 529 account for her sister to use towards higher education. OSC understands that the account has approximately $6,000 in it at this point. According to Mackenzie, the seed money for this account may have come from her biological father, although she does not quite remember.

So she tried to scheme more financial aid out of Penn by using a special needs half sister who lives with the dad she allegedly has no relationship with?????

*crickets*

Seriously. Major liar

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right. But it would eventually have come out, especially if someone was willing and invested to send anonymous (or not) tips -- that wouldn't have gone away.

They had to bite the bullet and take the hit. And as for her, she'll makes things worse for herself by digging in deeper. I suspect she's never not been able to talk her way out of a situation and into what she wanted eventually, and she probably can't come to terms with it being over.

All she has to do is pay 4k, apologize, and then she gets her MSW and moves on with her life. Penn has already stated this formally in their written response.

No idea why she feels a need to sue, it seems like such an obviously silly move.

I think I read that Penn will waive the $4000, and that seems like a perfectly appropriate decision. there is no doubt she is struggling for whatever reason, and regardless of how much she has control of it. At this point, that doesn't nearly matter so much as the acknowledgment of what she actually did.

I don't think this will be a popular opinion, but she is not someone I want to be counselling others as a licensed social worker in a clinical context. That seems frankly dangerous. Even over and above the emphasis on honesty and truthfulness, it's not clear whether she has a warped view of reality or is deliberately and systematically deceptive. Either way, there should be a note in that academic file that follows her anywhere she might apply for a clinical license and/or clinical privileges, and it should be accompanied by her own words in acknowledgement of what really happened, so that it doesn't just become something she argues was misrepresented.

And Penn seems to be standing firm on that. I think it's why they are holding back on the degree. Having seen what came out in the investigation means they are responsible for not granting that degree without an asterisk, as it were -- and one which will always be there to be addressed in any future clinical applications to practice in the future.

[Anonymous]

^^PS: But research, or advocacy work, or many other ways to try to use the degree are not things I have concerns about. I just don't want her counselling patients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right. But it would eventually have come out, especially if someone was willing and invested to send anonymous (or not) tips -- that wouldn't have gone away.

They had to bite the bullet and take the hit. And as for her, she'll makes things worse for herself by digging in deeper. I suspect she's never not been able to talk her way out of a situation and into what she wanted eventually, and she probably can't come to terms with it being over.

All she has to do is pay 4k, apologize, and then she gets her MSW and moves on with her life. Penn has already stated this formally in their written response.

No idea why she feels a need to sue, it seems like such an obviously silly move.

I think I read that Penn will waive the $4000, and that seems like a perfectly appropriate decision. there is no doubt she is struggling for whatever reason, and regardless of how much she has control of it. At this point, that doesn't nearly matter so much as the acknowledgment of what she actually did.

I don't think this will be a popular opinion, but she is not someone I want to be counselling others as a licensed social worker in a clinical context. That seems frankly dangerous. Even over and above the emphasis on honesty and truthfulness, it's not clear whether she has a warped view of reality or is deliberately and systematically deceptive. Either way, there should be a note in that academic file that follows her anywhere she might apply for a clinical license and/or clinical privileges, and it should be accompanied by her own words in acknowledgement of what really happened, so that it doesn't just become something she argues was misrepresented.

And Penn seems to be standing firm on that. I think it's why they are holding back on the degree. Having seen what came out in the investigation means they are responsible for not granting that degree without an asterisk, as it were -- and one which will always be there to be addressed in any future clinical applications to practice in the future.

This seems like a reasonable position to me. She also has a BS from Penn too, and I think she should still be fine for many jobs. I do have some doubts about her honesty and truthfulness as well, and think Penn's actions in this case were fairly even handed.

[Anonymous]

It's absolutely possible for her to get her act together and deal with her life appropriately, even with something like this in her past. I mean, Monica Lewinsky has been magnificent in dealing with her (very public, very sordid) past experiences and transformed herself into someone who is a leader in dealing with shame and bullying.

Fierceton absolutely has a real and compelling story to tell. It may not be the same story she told to Penn and the Rhodes committee, and to interviewers and other people, but it is her story. Her REAL story. And that's a powerful enough platform to talk about foster care, childhood trauma, PTSD, and all the difficulties that pose.

But she SHOULDN'T be granted clinical privileges without a different level of oversight and reassessment. She just shouldn't. The only way to do that is to mark her file and include an acknowledgment of that from her that accompanies the marked file.

If Fierceton were reading this thread, I would encourage her to watch Lewinsky's 22 minute TED Talk:

They had different experiences and different stories, but there are resonances. There is a path forward.

[Anonymous]

Her career plan was obviously politics. She was gunning to be the next AOC and mayor Pete.

[Anonymous]

She got close. Losing it is an even harder blow when that happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's absolutely possible for her to get her act together and deal with her life appropriately, even with something like this in her past. I mean, Monica Lewinsky has been magnificent in dealing with her (very public, very sordid) past experiences and transformed herself into someone who is a leader in dealing with shame and bullying.

Fierceton absolutely has a real and compelling story to tell. It may not be the same story she told to Penn and the Rhodes committee, and to interviewers and other people, but it is her story. Her REAL story. And that's a powerful enough platform to talk about foster care, childhood trauma, PTSD, and all the difficulties that pose.

But she SHOULDN'T be granted clinical privileges without a different level of oversight and reassessment. She just shouldn't. The only way to do that is to mark her file and include an acknowledgment of that from her that accompanies the marked file.

They had different experiences and different stories, but there are resonances. There is a path forward.

More white privilege. This is a clear as day deeply disturbed pathological lying con artist thief, and likely sociopath, and you are wishing her well because she's a cute rich white girl with high status k-college credentials. If this were some story about a poor Black boy thief you wouldn't give a damn or write so many words or look up some inspiration youtube video.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's absolutely possible for her to get her act together and deal with her life appropriately, even with something like this in her past. I mean, Monica Lewinsky has been magnificent in dealing with her (very public, very sordid) past experiences and transformed herself into someone who is a leader in dealing with shame and bullying.

Fierceton absolutely has a real and compelling story to tell. It may not be the same story she told to Penn and the Rhodes committee, and to interviewers and other people, but it is her story. Her REAL story. And that's a powerful enough platform to talk about foster care, childhood trauma, PTSD, and all the difficulties that pose.

But she SHOULDN'T be granted clinical privileges without a different level of oversight and reassessment. She just shouldn't. The only way to do that is to mark her file and include an acknowledgment of that from her that accompanies the marked file.

They had different experiences and different stories, but there are resonances. There is a path forward.

More white privilege. This is a clear as day deeply disturbed pathological lying con artist thief, and likely sociopath, and you are wishing her well because she's a cute rich white girl with high status k-college credentials. If this were some story about a poor Black boy thief you wouldn't give a damn or write so many words or look up some inspiration youtube video.

Swing and a miss. Sorry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's absolutely possible for her to get her act together and deal with her life appropriately, even with something like this in her past. I mean, Monica Lewinsky has been magnificent in dealing with her (very public, very sordid) past experiences and transformed herself into someone who is a leader in dealing with shame and bullying.

Fierceton absolutely has a real and compelling story to tell. It may not be the same story she told to Penn and the Rhodes committee, and to interviewers and other people, but it is her story. Her REAL story. And that's a powerful enough platform to talk about foster care, childhood trauma, PTSD, and all the difficulties that pose.

But she SHOULDN'T be granted clinical privileges without a different level of oversight and reassessment. She just shouldn't. The only way to do that is to mark her file and include an acknowledgment of that from her that accompanies the marked file.

If Fierceton were reading this thread, I would encourage her to watch Lewinsky's 22 minute TED Talk:

They had different experiences and different stories, but there are resonances. There is a path forward.

OOF! Talk about viewing history through a liberal lens! Monica was a 22/23 intern in the White House that the President of the United States (with a sordid past of cheating) took advantage of and the liberals all looked the other way. And the President lied and was impeached for lying about it. I have always felt so sorry for her.

[Anonymous]

Sure you felt sorry for her. Her reputation was completely trashed.

You shouldn't feel sorry for her as her life is now. Right?

[Anonymous]

Different poster here: I don't think Monica Lewinsky is a great parallel here. I posted a few pages ago about Stephen Glass, another Penn alum who got caught in a mess of lies and seems to have truly learned from the experience. He was a reporter for the New Republic in the 1990s who made up some of his stories. Got blackballed from journalism, went to law school, but continued to face opposition to practicing law because of his past deceit. I posted a link to a recent article that details how he cared for his wife while she was dying of early onset Alzheimers. https://airmail.news/issues/2021-12-4/loving-lies?utm_medium=email

It's a really moving story but one of the takeaways is that the disgrace he experienced after his lies were caught really did have an impact on his psyche as well as his job prospects. One of the sad things about Fierceton is that she seems to still think she can somehow get away with the whole scam. That's not a recipe for humility and repentance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Different poster here: I don't think Monica Lewinsky is a great parallel here. I posted a few pages ago about Stephen Glass, another Penn alum who got caught in a mess of lies and seems to have truly learned from the experience. He was a reporter for the New Republic in the 1990s who made up some of his stories. Got blackballed from journalism, went to law school, but continued to face opposition to practicing law because of his past deceit. I posted a link to a recent article that details how he cared for his wife while she was dying of early onset Alzheimers. https://airmail.news/issues/2021-12-4/loving-lies?utm_medium=email

It's a really moving story but one of the takeaways is that the disgrace he experienced after his lies were caught really did have an impact on his psyche as well as his job prospects. One of the sad things about Fierceton is that she seems to still think she can somehow get away with the whole scam. That's not a recipe for humility and repentance.

Right, I forgot this was DCUM.

I didn't say it was a parallel. She is, however, a woman who came back from having a completely trashed reputation, unable to get hired literally anywhere, and who dealt with serious mental health problems. And she was incapacitated by the shame of the experience.

Hoping she learns from it is not the same as wishing her well.
I mean, you know the difference between "they are the same" and "they had different experiences and different stories, but there are resonances," right? I don't like Fierceton. I've been highly critical of her in this thread, in part because I really was a poor kid with a lot of childhood trauma who made it through higher ed.

But she's going to go through the process of dealing with public humiliation, shame, and a totally trashed reputation. Not that she didn't earn her way there, but it is where she is.