This is amazing!
Graduating seniors at Southland College Prep Charter High School in Richton Park, a suburb of Chicago, have a little something extra to be proud of. While they have all individually done well, they also have collectively carried on the school’s legacy of academic excellence. For the 11th year in a row, every member of this predominantly Black high school has been accepted into college, Blavity reports.
Southland prides itself on ensuring its students succeed, with all 133 students being accepted into college. Students have been accepted into several prestigious institutions, including Howard University, Columbia University, Vanderbilt, The University of Chicago, and the University of California-Berkeley. Despite the challenges students may have faced, they demonstrated remarkable resilience, a quality that Southland’s CEO says she’s proud of.
“Our students faced unprecedented challenges and they addressed every one of them and more than met them,” said Dr. Blondean Y. Davis, a testament to the school’s unwavering commitment to academic excellence.
The seniors are celebrating the accomplishment with pride. Valedictorian Knyiema Martin was accepted into 30 different schools, receiving more than $5 million in scholarship offers, including the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship, which covers the entirety of her college expenses. Many students have similar stories, and most of the graduates received acceptance into the majority of the schools they applied to.
“I have been accepted to 43 different schools and applied to 51,” senior Lundyn Wiliams told reporters.
In addition to the 100% college acceptance rate, Southland’s graduating class also received $50 million total in merit and need-based scholarships. Now, that’s how you leave your mark!
Cover photo: Every Graduate at Majority Black Chicago High School Accepted to College for 11th Consecutive Year/Photo Credit: @SouthlandCollegePrep/Instagram
Congratulations to all who struggled and persevered