Guyanese Immigrant Does The Unthinkable!

The title to this article is so long: "Guyanese immigrant raised by single mother working two jobs gets accepted by 21 colleges including all eight Ivy League schools."  Long, but everything summed up in one! What gravitated me into reading this article was the fact that this person was accepted into so many colleges including all Ivy Leagues. This is not the first case I have seen of someone getting accepted into all Ivy League schools, but out of all the articles I have read this one hits me the most. In what ways you ask? Well it is stated in the title lol...... the person is an immigrant from Guyana. So it was not the getting accepted into the most prestige colleges in the world that attracted me, but the element of an immigrant being able to accomplish such feats.

The journey for Kelly Hayes began in 2009 when her mother, Anetta, decided to move to America in order to provide a better life for her family. It was not specified how many children Anetta had, but it is certain that Anetta wanted to move to America especially for Kelly. Kelly was always the top of her class back in Guyana and when they went to Brooklyn, New York Kelly was enrolled in the reputable and distinguished High School for Math, Science, and Engineering at City College New York. It is no surprise that Kelly did so well in high school because ever since she was young she was an eager and willing student. Kelly's mother was by far her best friend, her rock, and biggest fan. Anetta was a single mother who worked two jobs: as a nurse aide and a health care aide. She worked a total of fifteen hours per day and supported Kelly in every way possible. Much kudos to this mother who worked such long hours and sacrificed and did so much for her family.

With this new life in the America, Kelly was responsible for waking up every morning at 5:30 in order to catch the subway and bus to school. School was an hour and a half from where Kelly lived, but that did not stop her from pursuing an education. Now that is true COMMITMENT! Kelly surely did not let this opportunity go to waste, and I have to applaud her (insert clapping hands here) for that. WOOOOWWW, this person wakes up at 5:30 just to go to school. Lets put this into perspective..... I complain about having to wake up at 6:00 in order to get ready and catch the bus. I dislike having to wake up so early and having to walk in the cold to the bus stop to then take a 15 minute ride to school, but I should not be the one who is complaining!! If you don't already know I am like many of millions of others who are not morning people! I wish I was though because when I do have a goods night rest I wake up refreshed and it feels nice and I quite like the mornings. Kelly I am sure might of thought there should be a better way, but she wasn't about to be going around whining about her conditions. Instead, I reckon she was fully content and grateful for these days as they were better circumstances than her previous life.

Kelly most definitely had goals, and big ones I tell you. She aspired to do something with engineering or science. She was a sharp student in biochemistry and later determined that what she wanted to be a neurosurgeon. She was sold on becoming a neurosurgeon as a relative of hers was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. After school, if Kelly was not at her tutoring lessons, she was in the biology lab where she volunteered for Mount Sinai hospital. In high school, Kelly aced nearly every test and assignment with perfect grades and achieved a remarkable GPA of 99.63!!! Okay, tbh I do not know how that translates, but it seems high for something I do not know of.....I have never seen GPA's with four digits, but I will take it for Pleasance's (writer of article here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3558091/Guyanese-immigrant-girl-raised-single-mother-working-two-jobs-gets-accepted-21-colleges-including-eight-Ivy-League-schools.html) word that this 99.63 is a striking high. Another great accomplishment of Kelly's is that she was deemed Valedictorian of her class!

After great turmoil, determination, and hard work was Kelly repaid with acceptance letters from a total of 21 colleges, including those eight Ivy League schools. Kelly says she is leaning more towards enrolling into Harvard University in hopes to pursue the career she desires, but like it is said it is not until you actually visit the campuses and walk around on the school grounds until you can really visualize yourself going to that particular school and end up making that final decision. These achievements are well deserved, and I cannot be more happy for Kelly. She has truly become an inspiration of mine!

Okay, I did not expect to write soooooo much about this, but this next part will not be about Kelly's story, but will have regards to her:

On several levels I can relate to Kelly. Here is a determined woman with massive ambitions.... For starters,  I do not try my hardest in school for no reason. I mean besides our personal lives and extracurricular activities, school should be our main focus and priority. You do not have your parents nagging at you and adults and older people telling you to stay in school and do your very best for no reason now. I always strive for the top and have always wondered if it would be possible if I too can become such a story. A story of a girl who came from this city of Santa Maria who has always dreamed of getting accepted into the Ivy League schools and after years of hard work has finally gotten her wishes fulfilled!!! Y'all heard it right here! I will make history...... I can only hope and keep chugging - doing all that I possible could, but as long as I know that I made the effort and tried my hardest you bet I will be satisfied.

If anything, I have recently been thinking about wanting to go to Harvard and pursuing something in medicine. I have been told that Stanford is also another great place to go to if wanting to major in something within the medical careers. I was informed that Stanford had a thing about SM kids and that they hardly ever except students from SMHS..... maybe I should break history there! Also, Kelly here ended up on the waiting list for Stanford which makes me curious to whether or not Stanford is that picky or is looking for "certain" students? Something to definitely investigate..... John Hopkins is also up there in my list and Kelly got accepted into this school also...I certainly look up to Kelly and hope I will be able to accomplish the things I want to do and the dreams that I have.    

OMG!!!! Last thing that I want to mention I promise. So at the end of the article Kelly had the following to say: "Make sure that whatever you're doing, you're doing it becuase you like it or because you're interested in it; not because you think it will make you family happy or your parents happy. Make sure you're doing it for you." WORD!  Okay, you know I cannot end this with WORD and not elaborate on what I think of what is being said here....... In a nutshell, you cannot please others and that should not be your aim in life trying to please others. Instead, the only person you can please is yourself! It is funny because lately Dr. Preston talks about students trying their very hardest to please their teachers and they just do what they can so they can get the desired grade. This makes me think of this for a moment, and this is entirely true. From a student's perspective, we do what we can in order amuse and satisfy what the teacher is asking of all for a grade in the end and not what is suppose to be really coming out of it which is the learning experience and value of the work.