A Southwest Georgia student has applied to nearly 100 colleges and universities while being accepted to half of them, along with thousands of dollars in scholarships.
According to FOX 31, Kenyari Sawyer, a 17-year-old senior at Monroe High School, was accepted to 48 schools out of the 92 she applied to in the past six months.
“I started applying on Aug. 1. The first two colleges I applied to were Cleveland and Mississippi, and I did not think I was going to get accepted into those. Then I was like, ‘This is how it goes? This is an easy process,’ and I just started going from there,” Sawyer told the media outlet.
While Sawyer was accepted into schools from different parts of the country, she also received over $600,000 in scholarships from the following institutions:
- Dillard University- $40,000 ( $10,000 per year)
- Mary Baldwin University $88,000 ($22,000 per year)
- Spring Hill College – $24,000 (6,000 per year)
- Norte Dame of Maryland – $80,000 ($20,000 per year )
- New England College – $32,000 per year
- Arizona State University – $62,000 ($15,500 per year)
- Miles College- $10,000 ($2,500 per year)
- Jacksonville University – $116,000 ( $29,000 per year)
- Grace College – $5,000 ($1250 per year) $48,000 ($12,000 per year)
Applying for college can be one of the most stressful times young men and women face as they prepare for their collegiate careers. However, the process can be very costly with application fees. Sawyer was one of the lucky ones who did not have to pay for application fees while applying to such a long list of schools.
“So you can either receive a fee waiver from the school, or you can use the common app or coalition app which waives the application fee based on financial needs,” she noted.
Sawyer, one of three kids, said her biggest inspiration is her mother since she had to put her dreams of going to college aside while pregnant with her.
The 17-year-old maintains a 4.0-grade point average, plays soccer, and is currently a dual enrollment student at Albany State University, FOX 31 reported.
“I’m taking AP English and Composition, AP Biology, and AP Statistics. At Albany Tech, I recently just took Juvenile Delinquency, but I am done with that class now. Now, I am taking a survey of American History,” said Sawyer.
She said she hopes to attend one of the top five schools she applied to and major in criminal justice to become a lawyer.
“I want to start my own law firm, become a defense attorney, and go up the ranks from there,” said Sawyer.
On Tuesday afternoon, the teen held an informational session, encouraging her peers to go after the dreams they wanted to accomplish.
“Do not be scared and go for what you want. If you want it, go for it, and do not let people talk down on you. You said I can’t do this, but I can, and I’m going to show you”.
