Keishaun Wade, 18, will have a full-ride when he heads to Cornell University in August.

It was big accomplishment, but the acceptance letter from the Ivy League school was one of 11 offers that Wade has received. He was also awarded $700,000 in scholarships.

Wade, a senior at Flint Southwestern Academy, had applied to 17 schools. Some of the responses had left Wade discouraged.

“There was a string of rejections, and I kind of chalked it up as a loss,” he said.

Acceptance letters gradually arrived, and he got an email about Cornell while sitting in class.

“I just melted in my desk. Everybody was like: ‘Aw, he got into an Ivy League.’ And it was just really dope.”

The streak of acceptance letters continued.

“I feel really honored, and I feel really blessed to even be able to have those opportunities.”

The opportunities have come by excelling in school and his community services. Wade received the Yale Bassett Award for Community Engagement in 2018.

He plans to return to Flint after college and continue to serve his community. Wade plans to pursue urban and regional studies and public policy at Cornell.

“I really want to focus on how can I alleviate systematic oppression, especially here in Flint.”

The teen hope to a difference in people’s lives like his parents and teachers have done for him.

“(They) just really taught me the importance of endurance and patience throughout the trying times, and I think that has been a big factor in making me who I am.”

A scholarship that is available to eligible Flint students is the Flint Promise.

Original article was published here.