Applying for college is something high school students face as graduation nears. However, one high school senior was recently accepted into 54 colleges with over $1 million in scholarships.
Toriona Coakes, 18, is a senior at Stuttgart High School in Stuttgart, Arkansas. She will be a high school graduate preparing to start the next chapter of her life as a college freshman. However, since she was accepted into every school she applied to, picking the right one is a difficult decision to make, KARK reported.
“It’s stressful,” Coakes told the outlet. “Where am I going to go?”
Coakes mother, Whitney Bradley, said her daughter has always wanted to strive for the best.
“Toriona has always wanted to top the bar and she definitely did that,” Bradley said.
The high school senior shared the exciting news in a Facebook post last month.
Coakes revealed to the news outlet that the college application process started in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like many others, the 18-year-old was quarantined at home with nothing to do.
“I was watching a bunch of YouTube videos and just researching [colleges],” Coakes said.
As an aspiring lawyer, Coakes knew that attending college was the only way to make her dreams come true.
“I would see her come home from work around 10 o’clock, and she wouldn’t go to sleep until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m. filling out applications,” Bradley said.
“I looked at schools for my major. I looked at HBCUs and schools in good areas,” Coakes said.
“I was getting them every day,” she added.
In addition to the acceptance letters, Coakes said five of the colleges offered full scholarships. As a result, she received nearly $1,400,000 in scholarship funds to attend college.
“I can’t even begin to explain how proud I am of her,” Bradley said.
On its Facebook page, Stuttgart High honored the young scholar on March 30, commending students for making straight A’s.
With over 50 schools to choose from, many have wondered how much money Coakes had to pay in application fees. The high school senior told Blavity that she didn’t have to pay the standard application fee most colleges have as a requirement.
“I used the Common Black College Application, where you pay a one-time fee to apply to 60 HBCUs, and the Common App. I qualified for fee waivers for both of these applications and didn’t have to pay anything,” Coakes said.
While Coakes has narrowed it down to a few colleges in different states, she said she would make her final choice on May 1.
