On Saturday, Toriona Latice,18, from Stuttgart, Arkansas, sprinkled Black girl joy on her Twitter timeline when she revealed she applied to 54 schools and was accepted into all of them with five full-ride scholarships and received over $1,379,000 in scholarship funds.

BlavityU had the chance to speak with Latice about her recent success, college plans, and more.

Her Twitter @torionalatrice was hit with widespread support with over 17k retweets, 3,236 Quote retweets, and 214.8k likes in counting.

Supporters and doubters came to Latice’s page to share their mixed opinions about the soon-to-be college freshman’s choice of applying to 54 institutions, questioning how much time she has on her hands and the amount of money she spent on college applications.

Latice held nothing back when addressing the negative nancy’s who felt her ‘over-achievement was “extra.”

“I’d like to say- I saw the potential in myself. I am a role model to 4 younger siblings, started a business, work a part-time job, play sports, and still manage to stay involved in school, maintain a 4.0 GPA, my mental health, and a social life,” Latice said.

1.

When it comes to the pocket watchers, Latice shared that she worked smarter, not harder, when it came to applying to her college choices.

 

“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,” Lattice said.

On the other hand, many came to Latice’s aid shutting down the haters calling Latice a role model for young Black girls to look up to, and congratulating her on Black excellence.

“I would absolutely love to claim those titles (role model). I have always aspired to be someone who can guide others down the right path!” Latice said.

 

 

Following in her mother’s footsteps as a college graduate, Latice knows her future goals include making her family proud.

“My mother is a Graduate of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. I didn’t necessarily have a role model to go to college; I just always knew that I wanted to make the people around me proud,” Lattice said.

2.

“You take the risk, or you lose the chance. Clearly, I made my choice. I’m not worried about the negativity because I wouldn’t have gotten this far if I was. Sometimes people project their lack of ambition and motivation onto others and want to downplay your success and worth because they’re unaware of their value,” she added.

Latice plans to major in Political Science with a major in English to pursue a career as a Criminal Defense Attorney.

With a plethora of schools to peruse through, Latice has numbered down her top institutions based on representation and like-mindedness.

“Florida A&M University, Clark Atlanta University, Tennessee State University, Howard University, and Spelman College. There have been numerous factors that have played into my decision. However, the greatest is choosing an institution where I can be surrounded by people who look like me and are also chasing success,” Lattice said.

With Latice heavily involved in extracurricular activities and holding an A average, it’s obvious how she earned $1,379,00 in scholarships.

 

“I have been heavily involved throughout my high school career, holding numerous leadership positions. I also played Basketball and received plenty of awards. I have a 4.0 GPA with an A average. Honestly, determination and patience is the strongest quality you can possess.”

Lattice plans to celebrate later on after graduation but, for now, has tunnel vision on the work ahead.

 

“I’ll be celebrating once I graduate, but for now, there is still work to be done.”

Congratulations to Latice on this major win.

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