Georgia teen accepted to 48 universities, earns $600K in scholarships

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB/Gray News) - A Monroe Comprehensive High School student will have a variety of schools to choose from after being accepted into more than 40 universities.

Even after being denied by a few schools, Kenyari Sawyer was determined to get into all these schools. Of course, she wants to further her education but her motivation comes from her mother’s experience.

“I wanted to go to school because she wasn’t able to at the time. She was only able to receive her associate’s degree but it was at a later time because she had to take care of me,” Sawyer said.

Sawyer said her mother’s sacrifice created a mindset to put in work for what she desires.

Although she’s a 4.0 student, she lacked confidence in the beginning.

“I thought I wasn’t smart enough. It’s a hard process and I have been denied by one of my schools, and it was Mercer University. And so after I got denied, I just thought I might not get accepted into anymore. It was a setback,” said Sawyer.

That setback turned into a major comeback since Sawyer was then accepted into 48 colleges and earned $600,000 in scholarships.

“First, I applied to the school and they reward scholarships based on financial need and merit and most of my scholarships are based on my academic behavior,” Sawyer said.

As of now, Sawyer’s top schools that she was accepted to and considering are Howard University, Spelman College and the University of Georgia.

Sawyer also expressed some of the reactions from her peers.

“It is encouraging to them because when I walk around the school, they be saying, ‘I’m trying to get like you.’ So, it’s encouraging to see somebody that is actually looking up to me because I never thought that no one looks at me in that way,” Sawyer said.

Monroe High School Principal Frederick Polite said she is the standard role model at their high school.

“That’s what we expect from all of our students at Monroe High School. We’re pushing every student to be college and career-ready. She’s on that college side and she’s getting the other classmates involved. She’s that person that’s standing in front of them to make sure her peers are pulled up with her,” Polite said.

Sawyer plans to major in criminal justice and wants to become a defense attorney and start her own law firm in the future.

Sawyer hasn’t picked her school just yet but whatever school she plans to pick, she plans to bring her mother along this journey.

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