From RHS to Harvard: Ferrante Becomes Second in Family to Attend Storied University

When Revere High School (RHS) 2012 Valedictorian Michael Ferrante was in second grade, he helped pack up his brother’s belongings and drive them over to Cambridge.

He carried boxes and computers across Harvard Yard and took in everything in the old buildings as his brother, Frank T. Ferrante, nervously acclimated himself to the campus of Harvard.

That was 10 years ago, and now Michael Ferrante is following exactly in his brother’s footsteps, being the second in his family to pack his things up in Revere and head over to Cambridge in order to attend the famous Ivy League school.

“When I was little, I went with him and walked around the yard and helped him move into his dorm,” said Michael. “I had no idea I would go there too. I didn’t even understand what it was he was doing and how important it was. I just remember getting in the car and he was standing at the gates to Harvard Yard watching us leave, watching us go back to Revere. I guess I kind of followed in his footsteps a little bit.”

Certainly, those are not bad footsteps to follow.

Frank T. Ferrante graduated from Harvard, and just recently finished his Master’s of Business Administration at Harvard’s Graduate School of Business. He plans to work for Bain and Company in Boston.

Both are the sons of Revere Firefighter Frank Ferrante and Donna Ferrante. Their sister, Nicole Guilherme, teaches at the Garfield Middle School.

“I guess this doesn’t happen too often and I did ask his advice before applying to Harvard,” said Michael. “He told me that he took a long shot and I should too. It worked out for both of us, and it’s funny, because in last week’s Journal, on one page it talked about me being Valedictorian and going to Harvard, and then five pages later in the ‘Through the Years’ column, it talked about Frank being the Valedictorian and going to Harvard. We got a laugh out of that.”

Michael attended the Lincoln Elementary and then the Garfield Middle School, where he was in the Aspirers Club. At RHS, he played football, baseball, golf and was in the Student Council. Additionally, he also worked for the City’s Recreation Department, for Santarpio’s Pizza in Peabody and as a golf caddy in Marblehead.

He said that he felt RHS had provided him with a great education and a great preparation for Harvard, and that the school’s diversity of students was a major plus in his development as a person.

“Revere High’s academic curriculum is very, very rigorous,” he said. “In the last couple of years, I’ve taken AP classes and been up until 3 a.m. every single night doing homework. They’ve prepared me so well that there’s no way I won’t be able to do the work at Harvard. Revere is also very diverse and they want students from communities like Revere. Really, they don’t want just all rich white kids from the suburbs. Kids like myself and Frankie (Davis, also from Revere and headed to Harvard) provide them a good mix on campus.”

Michael said that once on campus, he hopes to head down the mathematics or economics path.

“I’d like to do economics because I’d like to get into investment banking or consulting,” he said. “I’m a math guy and I think economics would give me more options after college. I’m not a bad writer, but I’d rather do 100 math problems than write one essay.”

No matter what path of study he veers towards, one thing that is for certain is that Michael will never turn his back on Revere. In an interview, he was adamant about his ties to Revere and his good memories of growing up on Pemberton Street.

“It was awesome to grow up in Revere,” he said. “I love Revere. You always hear people say they want to get out of Revere., but I’m not that person. Revere is my home.”