Photo Courtesy Of Makenzie Thompson/ Instagram
A brilliant high school senior has reportedly been accepted to nearly 50 colleges and awarded over $1 million in academic scholarships.
Makenzie Thompson, who attends Westlake High School in Atlanta, revealed she received offers from Wingate in North Carolina, Purdue in Indiana, Tuskegee in Alabama and other universities.
“We have Delaware State with $64,000. Xavier with $100,000. Tuskegee with full tuition and books,” she told WSB-TV reporter Tom Jones on Mar. 15, as she pointed to a list of all her scholarship offers on Westlake’s wall.
“We also have Wingate with $128,000.”
Thompson continued, saying there was no more room on the wall to post every college that contacted her.
“So up here, I have 48. I have 49 acceptances, but we ran out of room,” she explained to Jones. “once I hit a million [dollars in scholarships], I was like, ‘That’s kind of crazy…[many] people don’t even make a million [dollars] in their lifetime.”
The 18-year-old attributed her latest achievement to strict time management and learning how to multitask.
“Without time management or knowing how to multitask, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything,” she said in another interview with CNN published on Mar. 27.
She added that her family is very excited about her new accomplishment.
“My family is ecstatic,” she said. “They’re like, ‘Wow, you’re going places.'”
Although Thompson has had a plethora of colleges to choose from, she ultimately went with the historic HBCU, Tuskegee, to study animal science. The university has reportedly had a history of producing successful Black veterinarians, which the high school senior planned to become. She told CNN that she grew up in a house full of pets, including dogs, fish, and guinea pigs, which led her to her love of animals.
The 18-year-old also serves as her senior class president at Westlake and the co-captain of the school’s Blue Reign dance team. She has also been vice president of the community service organization Beta Club, a varsity baseball manager, a national honor society member, and a member of the honor society of dance and arts.
Westlake’s principal, Jarvis Adams, commended the dedicated teen for her stellar academic performance.
“Everything that she does is for excellence and academics,” he said.
Naturally, Thompson said she was excited to start her college journey.
“I’m excited for a new environment, fresh start, fresh people.”
The City of South Fulton gave her a proclamation, and her high school’s board is set to recognize her for her hard work.