Black teen who applied to 20 top colleges gets full ride to all of them

Michael Brown colleges thegrio.com
Michael Brown applied to 20 of the best universities in the US. He was admitted to every single one with a full ride and $260,000. (Photo courtesy of CNN)

Micheal Brown is the epitome of black boy brilliance.

The 17-year-old is winning big time after getting 20 college admittance letters to the best universities in the US, reports KTLA.com.

The Houston teen also doesn’t have to pay a dime after receiving full-ride scholarships to every school, and an extra $260,000 in additional scholarship offers.

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It’s an extraordinary feat the scholar worked long and hard for.

“It’s something I’m proud of because I see my hard work paying off, determination paying off, sacrifices paying off,” the student told CNN.

Brown is a busy senior at Houston’s Mirabeau B. Lamar High School. He’s participated on the debate team, mock trial and student government. He might have an interest walking in the footsteps of former President Barack Obama since he wants to major in political science. He even once wrote an essay about a pivotal moment that had him in awe titled: “the moment I saw Barack Obama get elected.”

Brown’s got much work to as he looks forward to visiting the campus of his top eight Ivy League selections: Harvard, Princeton, Northwestern, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, Georgetown and Vanderbilt.

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Brown’s mom, Berthinia Rutledge-Brown, said she knew at an early age that he was ambitious. He’s only had one B his whole academic career.

“After sixth grade, Mike was in control of his education,” recalled the proud mom. “He was focused, he knew what he wanted and he made his own decisions.”

Brown has connected with other scholars like himself at all of the top universities through programs like QuestBridge, Emerge Fellowship and Breakthrough Collaborative. Those organizations help students from low-income communities connect with higher education opportunities.

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“For me, it’s important to highlight that I’m not the only student of color who is achieving,” Brown noted.

Brown’s got until May 1 to make his final decision. After that he’ll spend his summer doing some meaningful work traveling around cities that have historically fought for racial justice as part of Rustic Pathways’ “Race in America” program.

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