Yale University student in admissions scandal identified

A report posted Friday revealed the name of a Yale student involved in the college admissions scandal that implicated former women’s soccer coach Rudolph “Rudy” Meredith, who pleaded guilty after he was accused of accepting bribes to designate applicants as athletic recruits.

Sherry Guo, a native of China who moved to southern California for high school, was one of those applicants, The Wall Street Journal report said. Her family allegedly paid $1.2 million to help secure her admission to Yale.

Court documents released in March did not list Guo or her family members among the defendants.

Guo’s lawyer, James Spertus, confirmed Guo’s identity and said she was no longer attending Yale, the Journal reported.

Hearst Connecticut Media reported last month that a Yale spokesperson announced the university had rescinded a student’s admission in association with the scandal, though the spokesperson did not name Guo. (The Yale Daily News first reported the admissions withdrawal.)

A “frequently asked questions” page provided by Yale President Peter Salovey’s office said “There is strong reason to believe Rudy Meredith provided fraudulent athletic endorsements to two applicants; one was denied admission despite the endorsement, and the other was admitted and is attending Yale.”

A Google image search for Guo’s name reveals that she was once listed as the co-creative director at The Yale Layer — an undergraduate magazine that focuses on mental health — with her photo from the site still appearing in the results. Her profile, however, is no longer on the Layer’s staff page.

Guo attended JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., the Journal report said.

A post on the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards website shows that Guo won a medal for her artwork. The date of the post, which lists Guo as a senior, suggests she graduated high school in 2018, which would have made her a freshman at Yale this year.