Kenyari Sawyer, a 17-year-old senior at Monroe High School, sets the tone for young Black excellence by applying to nearly 100 colleges and obtaining acceptance letters from half of them at no cost.
"I started applying on August 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 FOX 31 News.
Sawyer has been accepted to 48 college institutions after applying to 92 colleges over five months, admitting to half of them without paying application fees. Her moment of achievement doesn't stop there; she also received an estimated total of half a million dollars in scholarships from:
- 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 $48,000 ($12,000 per year)
The 4.0 student shared that she did not pay for any applicable fees due to waivers receiving a total of $601,000 in scholarships.
"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," Sawyer said.
Sawyer is a dual enrollment student at Albany State University and expressed her biggest inspiration is her mother, who hadn't had the chance to attend college because she was pregnant.
"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," Sawyer explained.
Sawyer plans to attend one of her top school selections, major in criminal justice, and work toward becoming a lawyer.
"I want to start my own law firm, become a defense attorney, and go up the ranks from there," she said.
Being an inspirational individual in her community, Sawyer held an informational session at Monroe High School to educate her peers on college applications.
"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," Sawyer said.
