Photo by Alejandra Villa for Newsday
A Long Island valedictorian was accepted into all eight Ivy League universities last Thursday, and she now has just one month to decide which school to choose.
Augusta Uwamanzu-Nna, 17, will graduate from Elmont Memorial High School this year.
After applying to all eight Ivy League schools — and a few safety schools — the young woman learned about her acceptance last Thursday before a badminton game.
Her high school guidance counselor called her at badminton practice to tell her to check the status of her applications online using her smartphone. The counselor encouraged Uwamanzu-Nna to check her acceptance letters immediately because the counselor was expecting good news.
“One by one, I opened all the schools,” Uwamanzu-Nna told Business Insider. “I saw I was getting accepted into each one, and when I came to the last one, I started crying. I literally was just crying and running around.”
Her parents immigrated to the United States from Nigeria in search of a better future. Now, Uwamanzu-Nna is a product of their sacrifice.
Last year, the Long Island high school had another student who was accepted into all eight Ivy League institutions. The student, Harold Ekeh, was accepted into all 13 colleges and universities he had applied to, reports Atlanta Black Star.
Uwamanzu-Nna credits the high school support system as one of the factors in her success. The scholar also created a study group during her junior year called “The Winning Team,” in which members would meet before tests to study and prepare for their classes.
Among her many accomplishments, the young woman has a GPA of 101.64 — which is well over 4.0 — and will have taken 13 Advanced Placement courses by the time she graduates. In recent years, Uwamanzu-Nna took part in internships with New York University’s engineering school and Columbia University’s lab to fine tune her math and science skills.
