New Orleans high school student Darrin Francois is over the moon with the news that he's been accepted by over 80 colleges.
About a dozen senior year students at the International High School of New Orleans received at least 20 acceptance letters and scholarships, but Francois got them beat by four times the amount in acceptance letters.
"I just applied, applied, applied," he told local station WGNO ABC. "I didn't know how many it was, so once they started to come through the mail, I was like oh my gosh, this many? Then, they started coming more and more. Now, today, I have 83 now."
Francois's diligence by applying to over 100 colleges paid off. He is now in high demand and received a total of $2,614,468 in scholarships.
The director of student support services, Rufus Mcgee encourages students to be persistent about reaching their goals.
I think we got on some of their nerves to be honest with you, but we continued to hammer at them to let them know that the world is yours if you reach out and get it.
Sean Wilson, the Head of School, said Francois started off as a timid 9th grader, but with hard work he's grown to be an ambitious student with a 4.24 grade point average and became the National Honor Society president.
Francois's mother, Bridget, is especially proud. She told ABC:
Eighty-three colleges? That is wonderful, that is a blessing from God. I'm very proud, a proud mother to see my son go forward into his success and go forward into his goals.
Not only is the 17-year-old an intelligent student who's already taken several college courses and one day hopes to be a judge, Francois is also an admirable and loving son.
My mom did not get a chance to actually attend the university of her choice, so I'm doing this for the both of us.
Francois has a tough decision ahead of him. He's narrowing his options down to schools that will offer the most scholarships, has a diverse student body, and offers a strong criminal justice program.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram