TOMBALL, Texas – A Tomball teen and his family are celebrating after the 17-year-old got accepted to 15 different colleges, including eight Ivy League schools.
"Well, it's a very surreal feeling, like, to be accepted to all those colleges," Jeramy Botwe said. "It's an honor to be accepted to one Ivy League, but to be accepted to all these different schools, it's really humbling."
Botwe, who attends Harmony School of Advancement, has a 4.51 GPA and is the valedictorian of his class.
The teen found out this week that he was accepted into Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Stanford University, MIT, University of Chicago, Duke University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Houston and Rice University.
"Whenever he got into all the schools, he came into my room when he told me, and we were both just, like, 'Whoa!' It was a really good moment," said Botwe's older sister, Julianah.
She herself is applying for law school and is a graduate of the University of Houston.
"I'm really proud of him. I'm really proud of him. I always kind of knew that he could do something like this. I've seen that he's very diligent in his studies, and he puts his all into anything he does," Julianah said. "I just want him to go where he will be happy and where he'll have the most opportunity. I'm going to miss him a lot. We're really, really close, and I know it's a great opportunity for him."
Botwe has until May 1 to make a decision.
"It's a little scary, but I have my family keeping me grounded, I have God, I have friends, so I'm pretty comfortable," said Botwe, who plans to make a pro and con list.
The 17-year-old also has some college visits planned.
"I was very excited, but I have to tell you, I kind of expected it because I've seen how hard he works," said Botwe's father, Kenneth. "In fact, in eighth grade, my son was voted the most likely to succeed, and so with humility to do great things."
Kenneth, who is originally from Ghana, came to the United States when he was a teenager. He joined the Air Force and finished school himself. The single parent said it's rewarding to see how far his family has come over the generations and is proud of is son and daughter.
"It's a bit overwhelming, joyful moment and extremely proud. Very happy, but just reflecting on where we came to where we are now," Kenneth said.
Botwe said he plans on becoming a doctor and focus on research to help find a cure for diseases, like MS and ALS.
The 17-year-old is also president of the National Honor Society, treasurer of his student council, director of Key Club and co-captain of a science club. When he's not studying, he enjoys playing basketball.
His advice to others is to plan out your weeks and always try to make oneself better.
"I try to always build on what I have, like, what infrastructure I have and go from there and improve myself in any way that I can," Botwe said. "You don't have to be a perfect person. You don't have to be a genius. You just have to be willing to better yourself."