One of only a dozen recipients of the 2009 New York Times Company Foundation College Scholarship, 18-year-old Andrew Boryga of Bedford Park is headed for the Ivy League.

This August, the Mount Saint Michael Academy senior will begin classes at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he intends to major in English. In addition to the Times scholarship, Boryga received a Cornell University Grant covering all his tuition expenses.

Boryga, a participant in The Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative and a writer for Bronx Youth Heard (the special youth supplement that appears in three west Bronx newspapers), was selected for the scholarship from over 2,000 applications received by the newspaper.

Open to all New York City high school seniors, recipients of the award receive four-year scholarships of $7,500 annually. The program also provides winners with a laptop, a six-week summer internship at the Times, college prep classes and future career and internship advice.

Candidates are evaluated based on their outstanding academic achievement and commitment to both learning and community service.

In his application, Boryga submitted several essays to the Times, including commentary on the presidential election (he’s a big Obama supporter), community service and his career goals. The latter, he thinks, was one of the qualities that stood out in his portfolio to the scholarship evaluators.

“I’m the one kid who actually wants to be a journalist,” Boryga says, referring to the career interests of the scholarship winners. “I want to work for The New York Times one day. It’s the paper read by almost everyone around the world.”

For Boryga, who says journalism is his obvious calling, the most exciting part of the entire experience is the upcoming opportunity to intern with the Times.

“I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing over the summer,” he says. “It might just be routine office work, but just being able to go to the Times building every day is a thrill. I love that place. I just get this feeling that this is really where I want to be.”