Nigerian Teen Earns More Than $5 Million In Scholarship Offers

One high school graduate in Nigeria is about to make a life-changing decision and she has a lot of options to choose from. Seventeen-year-old high school graduate Victory Yinka-Banjo has earned 19 college scholarship offers worth more than $5 million.

"It still feels pretty unbelievable. I applied to so many schools because I didn't even think any school would accept me," Yinka-Banjo told CNN.

Yinka-Banjo has the option to choose from prestigious universities like Yale Univesity, Princeton University, Harvard University and Brown University. Her college offers extend beyond Ivy League institutions and into Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, John Hopkins University and the University of Virginia. Yinka-Banjo has also earned the Lester B. Pearson scholarship in Canada and Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow in the U.K.

"Their admissions processes are extremely selective," Yinka-Banjo explained.

"They only accept the best of the best. So, you can imagine how, on a daily basis, I have to remind myself that I actually got into these schools. It is surreal!"

Regardless of where she lands, Yinka-Banjo hopes to study computational biology. As she determines which school is best for her, she will certainly be looking into science departments, post-graduate opportunities and campus life. While she has great options, it will not be an easy decision to make.

"I am still doing research on some schools that are at the top of my list, like Stanford, Harvard, MIT, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and just trying to compare and contrast all of them thoroughly," she said.

Wherever she lands in the fall, she will inspire others that they can do the same. At just 17 years old, Yinka-Banjo is a leader in her community.

"It is noteworthy that she is not one of the Nigerian-Americans who often get into these schools because of their advantage of being born and bred in the US," Chika Yinka-Banjoy said.

"She completed her secondary school here [in Nigeria]. It would be great if her story can be used to inspire the youths of our country."

Photo Credit: Getty Images


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