SaVion Smith has his pick of where he wants to go to college after graduating from Hapeville Charter Career Academy.
He has been accepted to 32 colleges and universities, and has been offered $500,000 in scholarships, 11 Alive reported.
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“It means that my work has paid off — my hard work has actually paid off,” he told the news outlet.
That hard work involved Smith attending college fairs and applying once there to help his application costs remain low. Smith is also a 5 Strong Scholar. The 5 Strong Scholarship Foundation partners with historically black colleges and universities to offer full scholarships to student leaders.
Among the schools that accepted him are Mississippi Valley State and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Smith plans to attend Alabama A&M University and major in technology and criminal justice, with a minor in Spanish.
The scholar encourages fellow students to "use every opportunity that you can have," and although he and other members of the class of 2020 won't get to experience a traditional graduation amid the coronavirus pandemic, he sees it as a historical moment he can share with his children some day.
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“When they’re reading that social studies book and it says ‘COVID-19.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, I know about COVID-19. We lived through that in 2020. Cancel this, cancel that. Put a hold to this, put a hold to that.’”
Smith’s college acceptances and scholarship offers follow news of another student making waves in his undergraduate pursuits.
Nicholas Johnson recently made history when Princeton University named him valedictorian. Johnson is the first black valedictorian in the school's 274-year history.
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