A 17-year-old native of Albany, Georgia in the US has been left spoiled for choice after getting acceptance into 48 colleges and universities; as well as receiving over $600, 000 in scholarships.
Kenyari Sawyer, the African-American 4.0 student at Monroe Comprehensive High School who applied to about 100 schools was denied admission into a few – which affected her confidence initially, but pulled through with a stronger comeback leading to her peers now looking up to her.
“I thought I wasn’t smart enough. It was a hard process and I had been denied by one of my schools, Mercer University. And so, after that I thought I might not get accepted anymore. It was a setback”, she told KBTX News. “First, I applied to schools who reward scholarships based on financial need and merit; but most of my scholarships are based on my academic behavior”, she added.
Kenyari further went on to talk about her motivation and mindset to work for what she desires coming from her mother’s experience saying: “I wanted to go to school because she wasn’t able to at the time. She only received her associate’s degree but it was at a later time because she had to take care of me.”
Monroe Comprehensive High School Principal, Frederick Polite also described Kenyari to KBTX News as a standard role model at their institution. “That’s what we expect from all of our students as we are pushing each of them to be college and career-ready. She’s on that college side and getting her other classmates involved. She’s that person who is standing in front of them to make sure her peers are pulled up with her,” Principal Polite said.
Kenyari attended Albany State University as a dual enrollment student to help strengthen her applications. “Dual enrollment programs push you to do your best. It’s easy once you get the hang of it, and makes you feel more like a college student than a high school student” – she advised.
Speaking about her life goals, Kenyari told Albany State University: “I am a person who believes in fighting for what’s right. As a criminal justice major, I can make those things happen. My life goal is to become a defense attorney in a criminal court. I also want to touch the entrepreneurship field by starting my own law firm. Afterwards, I hope to increase my rankings.”
Kenyari Sawyer is active in community service activities, as well as philanthropy. Even though she is yet to decide with her mother which college to enter this fall, her top picks are University of Georgia, Howard University, and Spelman College.
Edited by: Theresa R. Fianko
Image Attribution: Albany State University
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