A young man who survived the Parkland mass shooting didn't make it through Harvard's admission process. Kyle Kashuv is one of the survivors of last year's shooting in Florida. Earlier this year, he was accepted by Harvard, but the university later took back the admission offer after previous racist comments he made in private on social media surfaced. The case has stirred a lot of debate in the United States.

Kashuv, a pro-Second Amendment activist, said Harvard rescinded his acceptance as a result of racist remarks he made before the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

"[The Admissions Committee] takes seriously the qualities of maturity and moral character. After careful consideration, the Committee voted to rescind your admission to Harvard," the Ivy League school wrote in a letter to Kashuv.

Was Harvard right in revoking the admission offer?

"I do not agree. I think free speech is one of the core principles in American society. And I think one's point of view and thoughts should not be penalized. In addition to that, owing to his youth, these are not criminal comments. These were made privately, not for public consumption. I think they should not exclude him from his earned admission to the university," said Professor James Rae from California State University in Sacramento.

But Liu Hongchuan, senior partner at Broad & Bright Law Firm and a Harvard University graduate, holds another opinion.

"I think he should be forgiven if he had sincerely apologized. But forgiveness takes different forms, which unnecessarily means that Harvard University needs to admit him," Liu said.

Another controversial point in this case is that Kashuv's comments were taken from a private conversation he had with his friends. Kashuv said he became aware that "egregious and callous comments" he and other classmates "made privately years ago" were being made public.

"I immediately apologized," he said, saying he was "embarrassed" by the comments. He argued that the comments don't reflect who he is and "this past year has forced me to mature and grow."

"I see the world through different eyes and am embarrassed by the petty, flippant kid represented in screenshots of the comments," he added.

Wang Yan, a senior specialist at the National Institute of Education Sciences, said what countries value about talents are their integrity. If a brilliant talent is morally problematic, they could make serious problems.

"What made Harvard the best university in the world is not its facilities or classes, it's its people. The people who are positive and who have the right mindset to make this world a better place to live," Wang added.

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