Success stories like that of 17-year-old Harold Ekeh makes us proud of Nigerians living in the diaspora, because it provides a powerful reminder that the dream of attaining educational and career excellence sought by many who immigrate to the United States is definitely achievable.
The Elmont high school senior, Harold Ekeh, recently got accepted to all eight Ivy League universities and the 17-year-old from Long Island, New York, would be having a tough choice to make in selecting which school to end up with. He actually got admission into all 13 schools he applied to, including MIT and Johns Hopkins.
“I am very humbled by this. I see this as not an accomplishment for me, but as an accomplishment for my school, my community,” Ekeh told the local CBS affiliate. “I really see this as my mission to inspire the next generation.”
Ekeh’s aspiration is to be a neurosurgeon, according to local news reports, and he is reportedly leaning toward Yale University.
“I am leaning toward Yale,” he told CNNMoney. “I competed at Yale for Model UN, and I like the passion people at Yale had.”
His parents moved from Nigeria to the United States with his family eight years ago and his mom works for a human resources agency, while his dad works for the New York City Police Department.
According to media reports, Ekeh credits his success in gaining admittance to all eight Ivy League schools and several other universities to his parents for moving from Nigeria to the United States when he was 8 years old, and his teachers for challenging him.
Photo Credit: Steve Pfost
