Chicago Teen Stephen Thomas Receives Over $1 Million In College Scholarships

Photo Courtesy of NBC Chicago (Screenshot)

Stephen Thomas, a 17-year-old Chicago teen, has received over $1 million in college scholarships from more than 30 schools.

Thomas is a senior at Chicago’s Bogan Computer Technical High School. He is one of seven siblings raised by his mother, Ericka, in a single-parent home.

Although he has faced adversity from a young age, he’s never used it as an excuse. His mother, Ericka, is an educator herself and became his first teacher at a young age. He taught him to create his own story despite the challenges.

“No matter what life presents, you just go for it. You write your own story, we know there are narratives out here about our Black boys, but it is our responsibility to change that narrative,” Ericka said according to NBC Chicago.

Thomas excelled academically as a straight-A student and now has a 4.47 GPA. He also participates in a variety of clubs and extra-curricular organizations.

With all of his hard work paying off, Thomas now has 30 colleges to choose from, including Loyola, North Central, Northern Illinois, CIU, and DePaul.

He wants to share his success with others to inspire them to work hard and remain humble.

“When I am recognized, I won’t just have been another Black teen on the news for something bad like gang violence or me getting wrongfully shot. I want people to look at me and be like, ‘wow, he’s really out there doing something that we really thought we couldn’t do just because of how he looked,” Thomas said.

“It’s not impossible. Again I am just a kid from Chicago that put the work in and put the time in, and (hopefully) somebody else is seeing this, and they’re like ‘wow, I can do it too,'” he added.

Aziah Kamari

Aziah Kamari Pless is a writer and content creator with 5+ years of experience in freelance writer, editor and PR roles. A graduate of Florida State University, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English: Editing, Writing and Media. She incorporates her interests in music, fashion, media and entertainment to create versatile and compelling content.