A STUDENT has been accepted into 31 colleges and received scholarship offers of more than $900,000.
Kayla Willis, a senior at Westlake High School in Georgia, US, was motivated to apply for dozens of colleges to inspire other young people like her.
“I really wanted people to see what they could do because a lot of people doubt themselves when they get into these positions when they’re applying for colleges and maybe they doubt themselves over tuition costs or application costs or they just don’t think they’re smart enough so I wanted to show them that someone who made average SAT score, who has good grades can actually get into these schools and be able to have offers for ourselves,” Willis told NBC ATL.
Applying to multiple colleges can be costly as a result of application fees and postage but Willis asked for the fees be waived, a request that many institutions grant when students are unable to afford the cost.
i kinda didn’t want to post this, but someone said “the whole world needs to know how great you are” so here we go twitter! pic.twitter.com/g58Xd0w1w2 [2]
— Kayla E. Willis ???? (@kaegenic) February 24, 2019 [3]
Willis was initially reluctant to share that she had been accepted into so many colleges but she was inspired after being told “the whole world needs to know how great you are”.
At her school, pictures of successful college applications are displayed in the halls with the list of institutions students have been accepted into.
Jamar Robinson, the principal at Westlake High School, tweeted: [Kayla] is an inspiration to our staff and students because she just does not quit! Today she is being interviewed by 11 Alive News for being accepted into over 40 colleges and universities! She is also one of the most involved students in the school. We are so proud of you Kayla!”
Before she sent off the applications, Willis was unsure about where she would continue her education.
@kaegenic [4] is an inspiration to our staff & students because she just DOES NOT QUIT! Today she is being interviewed by @11AliveNews [5] for being accepted into over 40 colleges & universities! She is also one of the most involved students in the school. We are so proud of you Kayla! pic.twitter.com/7mP42CwmGS [6]
— Jamar Robinson (@JKRobinsonEDU) February 26, 2019 [7]
“Earlier this year I didn’t know where I was going to college.
“After I sat down and thought and prayed, everything came together. I was more proactive than ever. I did things the right way,” Willis said.
The teenager, who applied to 44 colleges in total, has chosen to study at Fisk University in Nashville, where she will be attending on a full scholarship.
Despite her achievements and her ability to inspire others, Willis has been targeted by online trolls since the news of her academic success went viral.
Responding to those targeting her with hatred, she said: “Some of you all are disgusting. Y’all are trying to tear me down and make me feel bad about my achievements as a young black female. how are we supposed to call each other brother and sister with so much hate? Please take a look in the mirror and reevaluate.”
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