AUGUSTA, Ga. — A Georgia high school student has been accepted to more than 50 colleges and earned more than $1 million in scholarships.
Jakelia Baker is valedictorian of Lucy C. Laney High School in Augusta, Georgia, and spent hours applying to colleges and for scholarships, according to WJBF. Jakelia hasn't settled on a school yet, but she's been accepted to some of the best in the country, including Penn State University and the University of Michigan.
"My momma kept me on track," the 17-year-old told WJBF. "We would use weekends and sometimes when I was at games, I would be doing college applications."
Jakelia played on the basketball, volleyball, golf, tennis and soccer teams at Laney. Beyond sports and academics, the scholar also served on the National Honor Society, student council, math team, marching band and academic decathlon.
Even with all that, Jakelia maintained a 4.1 GPA. She said that meant she missed out on hanging out with friends and going to parties.
"There are always people that are going to tell you that you can't do something or you won't be something – you just have to ignore them and keep pushing," Jakelia told WFXG.
Bill Dunbar, Jakelia's AP Literature teacher, told WFXG, "If you want to show off the school, you pull in Jakelia Baker."
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