Mount Maunganui's Samuel Taylor has dreamed of attending Harvard University in the United States as far back as he can remember and he always knew he'd have to work hard to turn it into reality.

Now he has.

He received the news on Friday, December 13, sharing his success with family, close friends and on Facebook.

'It's long been a dream of mine to study at the best university in the world and now I'm proud to say I will have the opportunity to do so as I have been offered a place in the Harvard College Class of 2024,” his post read.

Samuel told The Weekend Sun he is absolutely thrilled with his achievement and hopes it inspires other young New Zealanders to chase their dreams.

'I feel incredibly privileged to be able to go and I hope my story can inspire other New Zealanders they can do anything and achieve on the world stage.”

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with about 6800 undergraduate students and about 14,000 postgraduate students. Its history, influence, wealth, and academic reputation have made it one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

In June Sam achieved something else remarkable- he got a perfect score in the United States latest annual SAT. This means he is in the top two per cent of the 2.1 million students who sat the test.

The former Mount Maunganui College student's advice to his peers is to 'take every opportunity that comes your way if it's going to enrich your life experience”.

'I grew up in Thames and then Mount Maunganui. I went to my local co-ed state school and now I am off to the top university in the world.”

He plans to use this opportunity to give back to the local community and is thinking hard about pursuing either economics or politics at Harvard.

'I want to see how I can use this to improve the lives of New Zealanders.”

Samuel, who was previously a recipient of the Te Ara a Kupe Beaton Scholarship, encourages other young Maori to apply for it.

'I hope that young Maori interested in studying overseas take the opportunity to apply for this scholarship. It certainly has helped me.”