In a sweet and selfless act, a Black graduate, who is set to attend Harvard University this fall, wants to give away one of her scholarships worth $40,000. 

Massachusetts resident Verda Tetteh announced on stage during her Fitchburg High School graduation ceremony on Friday that she would prefer if the school awarded her scholarship to a student headed to a community college, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.  

"I am so very grateful for this but I also know that I am not the one who needs this the most,” Tetteh said in her speech.

During the ceremony, Tetteh had already taken the stage to give a speech as the 2021 class speaker and then again a second time to receive the scholarship from Assistant Principal Thomas DiGeronimo, WPBF News reported.

She then took to the lectern a third and last time after DiGeronimo’s commencement speech to make the stunning announcement. Sitting in the crowd before her, Tetteh's peers gave a standing ovation as friends and family applauded her decision.   

Fitchburg High had initially awarded Tetteh with the General Excellence Award scholarship. Such honors, which the school has presented since 1914, are awarded to graduating seniors who’ve shown incredible academic and civic excellence, according to the school’s website.   

While declaring her preference to give away the college aid, Tetteh said she was inspired by the good example set by her mother who earned her bachelor’s degree as a community college student, NBC Boston reported. She also gave acknowledgments to DiGeronimo who spoke on her selflessness. 

According to a recent social media post, Tetteh, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ghana as a child, received more than $80,000 worth of scholarships. She said that along with Harvard’s policy to cover 100% of demonstrated financial need should likely be enough to cover the full cost of tuition.

Tetteh’s generous act is only the latest example of a young graduate who has looked beyond themselves to help someone else in need.

In May, a Black senior from Missouri, who plans to study pre-optometry and biomedical sciences at Southeast Missouri State University, is using his personal college fund to help another student attend college, as Blavity previously reported. He made the decision after being awarded a scholarship to pay his tuition. 

Jeremy Roche, Fitchburg High School principal, is set to meet with Tetteh to discuss plans for allocating her scholarship to another student.    

harvard universityVerda Tetteh