She’s going places!
A Georgia teen was accepted to nearly 50 universities and has earned more than $600,000 in scholarships, KBTX news reports.
Kenyari Sawyer is a 4.0 student at Monroe Comprehensive High School in Albany, Georgia. Recently, she began applying for colleges and despite her high academic marks, the teen admits that she was still nervous about getting accepted.
“I thought I wasn’t smart enough. It’s a hard process and I have been denied by one of my schools, and it was Mercer University. And so after I got denied, I just thought I might not get accepted into anymore. It was a setback,” Kenyari told reporters.
Luckily, her fears were quickly proved wrong as letter after letter started rolling in granting Kenyari admission to not one, not two, but 48 colleges or universities. Not only did Kenyari gain acceptance to a number of colleges, but she also earned over $600,000 in scholarship offers.
“First, I applied to the school and they reward scholarships based on financial need and merit and most of my scholarships are based on my academic behavior,” she explained.
Kenyari is still overwhelmed but excited, saying she was inspired to go to college based on her mother’s experience.
“I wanted to go to school because she wasn’t able to at the time. She was only able to receive her associate’s degree but it was at a later time because she had to take care of me,” said Kenyari.
Now, she’s hoping to make her mother proud and let her know that her sacrifice wasn’t in vain. She also feels good that her accomplishments seem to be inspiring her peers at school.
“It is encouraging to them because when I walk around the school, they be saying, ‘I’m trying to get like you.’ So, it’s encouraging to see somebody that is actually looking up to me because I never thought that no one looks at me in that way,” said Kenyari.
Principal Frederick Polite spoke about Kenyari’s achievement, saying she’s set the standard at Monroe.
“That’s what we expect from all of our students at Monroe High School. We’re pushing every student to be college and career-ready. She’s on that college side and she’s getting the other classmates involved. She’s that person that’s standing in front of them to make sure her peers are pulled up with her,” said Polite.
The teen has plans to major in criminal justice with aspirations of one day becoming a defense attorney and starting her own law firm. While she hasn’t yet chosen a school, Kenyari said she’s looking at Howard, Spelman or the University of Georgia and hoping to bring her mother along with her for the ride.
Congratulations, Kenyari! We are so proud of you!
Photo Courtesy of FOX 31