Ivy League schools are generally viewed as some of the most prestigious, and are ranked among the best universities worldwide.
Now Ekeh has to make one of the most important decisions in his life: choose a university where he wants to study. Speaking with CNN journalists, the boy already confessed:
“I am leaning toward Yale. I competed at Yale for Model UN, and I like the passion people at Yale had.”
The boy added that some of the Yale students he met became his friends and mentors. They were giving him useful advice on the college application process. Now Ekeh is trying to pay back the help he received and do the same thing for others. He has founded a college mentoring programme at his school, Elmont Memorial High School on Long Island in the New York City suburbs. The aim of the programme is to help students to get into top universities.
But let’s get to know this unique boy better!
American dream
Ekeh was born in Nigeria and went to the United States when he was eight years old. He wrote his main college essay about the struggle to adjust, including being clueless in US history classes at school. The boy said that he was repeatedly asking his parents why they had moved.
“We had a fairly comfortable life in Nigeria, but they told me we moved to America for the opportunities like the educational opportunities,” he recalled.
Ekeh’s talent, hard work and strong desire helped him to reach his dream. Moreover, the boy made his parents, school and community proud of him.
“I am very humbled by this. It’s not just for me, but for my school and community. We can accomplish great things here”, he said.
A passion for science
Ekeh wants to major in neurobiology or chemistry in college and later become a doctor and, ultimately, a neurosurgeon. He was named a 2015 Intel Science Talent Search semifinalist earlier this year for his research on how the acid DHA can slow Alzheimer’s.
For Ekeh, the research topic is very personal. His grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when he was 11. One of his proudest moments was running home to tell his mother and aunts about the breakthroughs he was finding with DHA.
“When other kids would say, ‘I want to be a superhero or police officer,’ I would say, ‘I want to know what is on the inside of us,'” he said.
The key to success
Outside of the labaratory, Ekeh directs a youth choir at his church and plays the drums. He speaks Igbo and Spanish. He is extremely proud of acing the history exam despite his early struggles with the subject.
John Capozzi, the principal of Elmont High School, said that Ekeh is “one of the most humble young men I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet.”
Ekeh will spend the coming weeks visiting all the universities before making his final decision. His advice to other high school students is simple: “Like my parents always told us, the secret to success is unbridled resolve.”
READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/416065-nigerian-teen-accepted-by-8-prestigious-universities.html
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