July 8, 2025
The scholars wrote numerous essays and negotiated with their accepted colleges to achieve this lofty quantity.
9 numerous graduates of a Catholic highschool in The Bronx have tens of millions of causes to really feel proud.
This set of scholars at Cardinal Spellman Catholic Excessive College every earned over $1 million in scholarships for his or her faculty acceptances. At first, folks expressed shock and disbelief on the staggering reality, as shared by one of many faculty’s college members.
“Someone truly referred to as and argued with me that that was unattainable,” stated Dierdre Gibbons, the director of admissions on the Bronx highschool, to the New York Submit.
The extraordinary students have a variety of faculties to select from, together with a number of Ivy League establishments. One of many 9 wonders, Rehema Ojwang, thinks that their feat has impressed others to shoot for the very best stars. Ojwang, additionally her class salutatorian, plans to check politics as an incoming freshman at Princeton College.
“It sort of reveals folks which might be simply developing and are about to discover a faculty and are wanting into their futures that that is actually doable,” defined Ojwang, who was raised as a first-generation American to immigrant dad and mom.
She advises present excessive schoolers to stay true to the hobbies and pursuits that matter to them. With this in thoughts, the co-ed affirmed that their ardour will shine by purposes.
She continued, “What it’s a must to do is simply keep passionate within the issues that you simply do. You don’t have to start out a enterprise, and also you don’t have to start out a nonprofit, you don’t should go to those heights. I feel you simply should just be sure you are placing effort into the issues that you simply like doing.”
The dynamic group of 9 college students contains Shakira Simo, Alyssa Rill, Gabrielle Henriques, Rehema Ojwang, Robert Hernandez, Akua Amponsah, Nina Gonzalez, Saniya Smith, and Kaylyn Little. As a united group, they wrote numerous essays to construct up their scholarship earnings.
“I feel it’s actually inspiring to perform one thing so huge,” defined Simo. “It’s not one thing I actually would have imagined after I was a freshman, sophomore, and even junior. I feel simply having grit and willpower, persistence actually will get you to that time.”
The scholars additional prolonged their scholarship {dollars} by talking immediately with their high selections to barter increased assist. Now, the graduates will turn into a part of the latest cohort of scholars from high schools inside New York and past.
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