NewsPositively Hampton Roads

Actions

New Orleans senior accepted to more than 80 colleges

Posted at 3:51 PM, Apr 17, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-17 15:51:39-04

NEW ORLEANS, LA (WGNO) — When it comes to college applications, this school has got it covered.

It’s the International High School of New Orleans, and about a dozen students have received at least 20 acceptance letters that are accompanied by hefty scholarships.

Senior, Darrin Francois, takes the win when it comes to the number of congratulatory letters from schools across the country.

“I just applied, applied, applied. I didn’t know how many it was, so once they started to come through the mail, I was like oh my gosh, this many? Then, they started coming more more and more. Now, today, I have 83 now,” says Francois.

It’s the kind of mass mail that parents like to find in their mailbox.

Did I mention, these letters include over 3 million dollars in scholarships?

This is a pleasing number to Francois’ mom, Bridget.

I sat down with the family, who laid the many acceptance letters across a table for me to see.

The rest of the letters were organized in a giant, red binder.

“Eighty-three colleges? That is wonderful, that is a blessing from God. I’m very proud, a proud mother to see my son go forward into his success and go forward into his goals,” says Bridget.

It doesn’t stop with Francois, because like I said, other students have their options of universities and other schools as well.

Many students say that the scholarship money is a big deciding factor, along with life goals.

“I started to focus more on my career choice and schools that would promote me in that area,” says senior, Thalneisha Weston.

The school’s faculty is considering this to be a banner year, as it’s the most scholarships they’ve ever seen.

They attribute these statistics to their daily routine of getting their students to fill out multiple applications.

“I think we got on some of their nerves to be honest with you, but we continued to hammer at them to let them know that the world is yours, if you reach out and get it,” says the director of student support services, Rufus Mcgee.

“We’re doing it, we made it. We’ve accomplished a lot and it’s exciting. To know that it’s not just one person, or two, it’s multiple people. That is really a blessing,” says Weston.

“Just stay true to yourself, if you know you’re going to get in, you’re going to get in,” says Francois.

Francois says he hasn’t officially chosen a school yet.

Right now, he’s considering several law schools.

He says whichever scholarship gives him the most financial coverage will definitely sway his decision.

The International High School of New Orleans is hosting a gala on Saturday, April 21st.