An 18-year-old high school senior in Georgia says her family is “ecstatic” after she got accepted to 49 colleges and also earned more than $1 million in scholarships. According to CNN, Makenzie Thompson did not initially intend to apply to several universities. But she eventually applied to 51 colleges after she attended college fairs and got free waivers.
And Thompson, who has so far received 49 acceptance letters, said one more university is yet to respond to her application. “It was a very, very good experience, just to see your hard work paying off and getting to see them just pile up in a folder,” the teen said.
“My family is ecstatic,” she added. “Getting 49 acceptances and over 1.3 million, they’re like ‘wow, you’re going places.'”
Thompson has reportedly been a standout student in high school. She said her strict time management is the reason for her success. “Without time management, or knowing how to multitask, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything,” Thompson said.
The brilliant teen is enrolled at Atlanta’s Westlake High School, and she’s a senior class president. She is also the co-captain of the Blue Reign dance team and the vice president of the community service organization, Beta Club, per CNN. Thompson is also a varsity baseball manager and a member of the national honor society and the honor society of dance and arts.
And though Thompson was spoiled for choice, she said she ultimately decided to attend Tuskegee University. During her visit to the Alabama-based historically Black college, Thompson said the campus gave her “the feeling that I was at home.”
The 18-year-old, who wants to pursue a veterinary career, will begin her freshman year at the University in 2023. She will study animal science. “I’m excited for a new environment, fresh start, fresh people,” Thompson said.
