Kwasi Enin, the 17-year-old Long Island high school student who got into all eight Ivy League colleges (plus four others), has many exciting opportunities ahead of him and he knows exactly how he got them. In an interview with the Post, Kwasi called his parents "helicopter parents. They monitored everything. They said, 'You have a mind, and you can do it. Always do your best.' ... They taught me 95 percent isn’t good enough... I’m proud, honored, appreciative."
Doreen and Ebenezer Enin both immigrated from Ghana and work as nurses. Ebenezer Enin explained to the Post, "I say, ‘You have all the resources in the world. Whatever you need, you have it here. You don’t know how lucky you are to be in America. You have no idea how blessed you are. I’m telling you.' I tell him academically, performance-wise, school-wise, you’ve got to stay at the top of the game. He’s been disciplined; he’s been trained; he’s been guided. We’ve motivated him."
As for why the student-athlete-singer-musician applied to all eight Ivies, well, he didn't think he'd get into all, "I was hoping to get one or two. Then they all came, and I said, 'There's no way.'" And of the attention he's been getting? Kwasi told the Daily News, "It has been a little crazy, but I never really feel overwhelmed because I love what I do and I have great support."
The Post published his college essay, which discusses his love of music and how it's helped him grow, "My haven for a solace in and away from home is in the world of composers, harmonies and possibilities. My musical haven has shaped my character and without it, my life would not be half as wonderful as it is today."
Kwasi Enin's college essay by New York Post
His principal at William Floyd High School, Barbara Butler, said Kwasi's accomplishment has inspired other students, "He is an incredibly modest, humble and respectable person. He is incredibly dedicated and he has his priorities straight. He takes advantage of whatever opportunity he is afforded."
Enin favors Yale, for its biomedical engineering program, but he's waiting to hear back from other schools about their financial aid packages.
