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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ so many good questions. Did anyone ever answer who paid for her $30,000 a year high school in her senior year when she was "bouncing around from foster home to foster home"?

"a scholarship" paid for it

Nobody is kicking a good student out of private school if CPS puts them into foster care.

I believe the gal claimed she got a "scholarship"? Like every lie she seems to tell, it's totally vague and likely deceptive. At our children's private, if no tuition money is received when it was due, the school chats with the parents (the doctor mom, in this case) and most parents are friends with some board members. You think a school and board are going to just give some teen parents claim is an unhinged pathological liar $30,000, likely six months after financial aid apps were due? Not at our school.

Now let's assume everyone hated the parents, didn't believe their side, and loved the kid because the kid some rock star teen who everyone loves. In that case wealthy board members might figure out a way to cough up the money themselves. But if that happened, it means the student is so well liked THEY WOULD NOT NEED FOSTER CARE because SEVERAL rich families at the school would EAGERLY take the teen in. Her apparent obsession with seeking entry into a foster system when she was damn near a legal adult and nearly too old for the system suggests it was to exploit the scholarships and admissions hook it provided. A hook she must have known it provided, hence her immediate know-how that she qualified for all of those scholarships she didn't qualify for as a rich white girl. This isn't a poor kid who fell into foster care and was unhappy. She probably treated the day she technically entered the foster system like she won the lottery.

Nobudy cares about your fantasy world.

The girl was a great student
The school called CPS multiple times on the parents
The girl passed out at school was rushed to the hospital and stayed there for a month
Girl was removed from home
When she returned she got a scholarship

Yes she did stay with rich families often but they were not her guardian the foster parent was

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ so many good questions. Did anyone ever answer who paid for her $30,000 a year high school in her senior year when she was "bouncing around from foster home to foster home"?

"a scholarship" paid for it

Nobody is kicking a good student out of private school if CPS puts them into foster care.

I believe the gal claimed she got a "scholarship"? Like every lie she seems to tell, it's totally vague and likely deceptive. At our children's private, if no tuition money is received when it was due, the school chats with the parents (the doctor mom, in this case) and most parents are friends with some board members. You think a school and board are going to just give some teen parents claim is an unhinged pathological liar $30,000, likely six months after financial aid apps were due? Not at our school.

Now let's assume everyone hated the parents, didn't believe their side, and loved the kid because the kid some rock star teen who everyone loves. In that case wealthy board members might figure out a way to cough up the money themselves. But if that happened, it means the student is so well liked THEY WOULD NOT NEED FOSTER CARE because SEVERAL rich families at the school would EAGERLY take the teen in. Her apparent obsession with seeking entry into a foster system when she was damn near a legal adult and nearly too old for the system suggests it was to exploit the scholarships and admissions hook it provided. A hook she must have known it provided, hence her immediate know-how that she qualified for all of those scholarships she didn't qualify for as a rich white girl. This isn't a poor kid who fell into foster care and was unhappy. She probably treated the day she technically entered the foster system like she won the lottery.

Nobudy cares about your fantasy world.

The girl was a great student
The school called CPS multiple times on the parents
The girl passed out at school was rushed to the hospital and stayed there for a month
Girl was removed from home
When she returned she got a scholarship

Yes she did stay with rich families often but they were not her guardian the foster parent was

Finally someone with a post that tells the truth. Kudos to you.

There are so many lies being told about this girl on this thread.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like the woman and/or people in her orbit are on here, so please clear up the following:

Did she twice (?) try to apply for more aid (read cash) under the guise she was taking care of a "special needs" half-sister? Why did a woman so sharp and astute suffer memory issues when asked simple questions?

"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."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Nobody cares about your fantasy world.

Freudian slip.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like the woman and/or people in her orbit are on here, so please clear up the following:

Did she twice (?) try to apply for more aid (read cash) under the guise she was taking care of a "special needs" half-sister? Why did a woman so sharp and astute suffer memory issues when asked simple questions?

"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."

+1. She lied - multiple times - to many authorities to gain access to what she wanted. She is not a victim, even though some of you want to paint her that way. She is manipulative and cunning. Read the court records.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like the woman and/or people in her orbit are on here, so please clear up the following:

Did she twice (?) try to apply for more aid (read cash) under the guise she was taking care of a "special needs" half-sister? Why did a woman so sharp and astute suffer memory issues when asked simple questions?

"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."

Dp. Excellent question

[Anonymous]

I mean, someone should definitely study her. I bet she would be a fascinating therapy subject in the correct environment.
She is clearly extremely talented and ruthless.
She should become a lawyer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean, someone should definitely study her. I bet she would be a fascinating therapy subject in the correct environment.
She is clearly extremely talented and ruthless.
She should become a lawyer

It's sorta the plot to the Matt Damon movie "The Talented Mr. Ripley," at least the first half. And some of Leo's "Catch Me If You Can."

[Anonymous]

Character and fitness portion of the bar exam might be tricky.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand the back and forth here. She exaggerated on her application, Penn is at fault for their wishy-washy definition of "first gen", and general slowness to act. Rhodes should not look at anything other than what an applicant has done in college.

Also, kudos to this poster:

01/12/2022 07:00
Real question… does the personal statement actually have to be true. Can’t it be just a writing sample. I seriously never thought the personal statement was supposed to be “the truth”.
You never state all statements in this essay are true.
Both my kids took an incident in their life and wrote a fictional story around it, full of 1/2 truths and embellishments.

If a parent is admitting this, I think we can agree there's a fair amount of confusion in the process.

Ultimately, I do agree with the poster who says Mackenzie may be best positioned as an advocate for foster care reform. Or she would have been before this!

If I were her, I would have repaid the 4K, written the apology and moved on. If she really wants to reform the US foster care system, there is absolutely no reason for a degree from Oxford.

[Anonymous]

lol I doubt she cares about reforming anything. this is a ruthless striver using a narrative to collect status badges so she can follow AOC's blueprint and run for congress in her late 20s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:lol I doubt she cares about reforming anything. this is a ruthless striver using a narrative to collect status badges so she can follow AOC's blueprint and run for congress in her late 20s.

Yep. The point of this was to reinvent herself as an inspirational wedge into politics. That's where the real power is. Of course, she was taking advantage of the fact that people love a good sob story. That doesn't change the fact that she is a grifter.

Tom Ripley, Frank Abagnale Jr., Anna Delvey.

"Inventing Maggie Fierceton." Why not?

[Anonymous]

^^ Whoops! "Mackenzie Fierceton." Must get the brand right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It sounds like the woman and/or people in her orbit are on here, so please clear up the following:

Did she twice (?) try to apply for more aid (read cash) under the guise she was taking care of a "special needs" half-sister? Why did a woman so sharp and astute suffer memory issues when asked simple questions?

"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."

Dp. Excellent question

Ignored, of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A poor Black male bank robber who steals $400k goes to prison for the rest of his life. A rich white girl takes over $400k in financial aid and scholarships and she deserves it because she had an alleged heated argument with her mom in her mom’s mansion in 11th grade.

You see a privileged rich white girl with a mansion, her own car, private day school, doctor mum, high-priced orthodontics, who conned her way into a free Ivy League education. But I see a marginalized victim.