Kevin S. Schwartz of East Hills made history at Harvard last week as he graduated with a perfect 15.0 grade point average, the first student in nearly two decades to do so, and reportedly one of only four in Harvard's 350-year history.

Since his first day at Harvard, Schwartz never received a grade below an A - not even a single A-minus. He was awarded the Sophia Freund prize, an honor given each year to the highest ranked summa cum laude graduate in the Ivy League College.

"I am proud to be a part of Harvard history," Schwartz said. "I was very motivated and worked hard, so it meant a lot to me."

Schwartz, who majored in government, will spend the next two years at Oxford University in England as a Marshall Scholar. He plans to pursue two master's degrees, one in business administration and another in social policy. After his years abroad, Schwarz plans to return to attend Yale Law School.

As a Truman Scholar, Schwartz will attend the Truman Summer Institute this summer in Washington, DC, where he will work in the solicitor general's office in the US Department of Justice. Under the Truman Foundation, he will participate in a program of policy training and leadership seminars.

Schwartz wrote his senior thesis on disability politics in the United States and Britain. He worked in Washington, DC for three summers, including service as a West Wing intern in the White House under the Clinton Administration. Ultimately, Schwartz said he would like to enter government service.

"He's intellectually adventurous, " James Alt, a professor of government at Harvard and Schwartz' thesis advisor, told the Harvard Crimson. "He has what I can only call unbelievable energy and motivation. In 30 years of teaching, I've, maybe, known one other student with this kind of capacity for dedication."

Alt also described Schwartz' potential for service in government, noting his "extremely strong interest" in public policy, "You can't talk to the guy for a minute without picking up on his social responsibility," Alt said.

During his four years at Harvard, Schwartz led a number of campus activities. "I lived the Harvard experience to the fullest by making sure to balance my work with everything Harvard had to offer," said Schwartz, who served as class treasurer, financial manager of the Harvard Glee Club, and president of the Harvard Mock Trial team. He was also a director of the Small Claims Advisory Service and a news editor for the Harvard Crimson.

Mark Risinger, the Harvard Senior Tutor, who initially informed Schwartz about the prize and his place in Harvard history, praised Schwartz' balance of academic and extracurricular involvement.

"He is a dynamo of energy, who has been very active his entire time at Harvard, not only as a student, but in his activities as well," Risinger old the Harvard Crimson.

Schwartz, whose sister Lisa will continue at Harvard as a rising junior, credits his family, professors and academic advisors for supporting him in his academic and extracurricular activities.

"I loved the Harvard experience. I took each course as an exciting opportunity to enjoy and had four wonderful years at college," Schwartz said. "It is an honor to be a part of history at Harvard."