Time for some good and inspirational news: Three young African American men are making the news for their college acceptances. Chad Thomas, a senior at Booker T. Washington Senior High in Miami, has received 150 scholarship offers for his football skills and his abilities as a nine-instrument musician. He has decided to attend the University of Miami, and will play football and study at the music conservatory there. You can read more about him here. 150 Scholarship offers! Good for him, not only for the academic, musical and athletic skills that got him to this point, but for the fortitude to apply for 150 scholarship offerings. Hope he did a lot of them online!

Avery Coffey, a senior at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Washington, D.C. with a 4.3 G.P.A., was accepted at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Brown and the University of Pennsylvania, each of the five Ivy League universities to which he applied. Coffey grew up in a single-parent household in D.C.’s Ward 8, one of the poorest areas in the city. His high school, which boasts that 100 percent of its graduates are accepted into post-secondary institutions, has very strict rules including a school wide ban on cellphones in the building, and a prohibition on visiting your locker during the day (to discourage hanging out in the halls). He plans to major in Finance, and at this point is leaning towards Harvard or UPenn. He advises younger students, “You can go anywhere you want to, pursue any career that you want to, and you shouldn’t let anybody hinder you from trying to reach your goals.” Read more about him here.

Last but certainly not least is young Kwasi Enin, from William Floyd High School in Shirley, NY, who was accepted to all 8 Ivy League schools. Not only did he get great grades, but he is also an athlete (a shot putter), a singer and plays viola for the school orchestra. He plans to ultimately study medicine, and is awaiting financial aid packages from all of the schools before making a decision. His Ghanian father’s comments speak volumes about the power of positive parenting: “We are very proud of him. He’s an amazing kid. He’s very humble. He’s been trained to be a high achiever right from when he was a kid. We have been encouraging him to be an all-around student. So far, he has proved himself.” More of Kwasi’s story can be found here.

Congrats to all of these talented and fortunate young men! Great to see their successes and we wish them much luck in the future.