By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. April 30, 2021: A Jamaican immigrant teen in California has been accepted by a total of 16 universities, six of which are Ivy League colleges.
KABC TV reports that 18-year-old Barstow High School senior Jamaal Willis has been accepted into Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Duke, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, Georgetown, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Cornell, UVA, UC San Diego, Chapman University, University of Oregon and Penn State.
The 18-year-old, who excelled in AP courses, mock trial and athletics, has, however, selected to attend his top choice for the fall – Harvard University.
He recorded the moment he learned he was accepted to Harvard, which confirmed his acceptance with the message: “Welcome to Harvard!”
Willis told Eyewitness News he was only rejected by NYU and Northwestern.
His mom, Tanya Distant Goulbourne, said she was overwhelmed and overjoyed with the news of her son’s many acceptances.
Willis represented California in the 59th annual United States Senate Youth Program in March. He immigrated to the U.S. in 2017. He was also captain of the school’s mock trial, and speech and debate teams; captain of the track and field team, and the founder and captain of the boys’ volleyball team.
Willis has volunteered many community service hours with Assemblyman Mike Gipson’s 64th District office, which includes mostly the cities of Compton and Carson in Los Angeles County.
He was named a Yale Young Global Scholar and the QuestBridge National College Match Finalist from the High Desert and has participated with the American Civil Liberties Union, NAACP and the Safe Youth Coalition working on racial equity, civil rights and homeless issues.
