A Brockton High School senior was rejected by one Ivy League school, but since then, seven others have sent him acceptance letters.


“I didn’t think that I would get into a lot of these schools,” said Obinna Igbokwe, 17, explaining that he wasn’t too discouraged about the initial rejection letter. “There was a sense of validation that I got afterwards. However, I didn’t do the things I wanted to do because of validation. But of course validation is enjoyable.”

The Enterprise said Igbokwe – who previously attended the Arnone Elementary School and the Plouffe Academy – is now deciding whether his next stop will be Princeton, Harvard or Columbia.

Igbokwe said that he is unsure about his college major, but he looks forward to studying environmental science, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, economics or another subject at one of the best schools in the country.

“It’s very exciting to be able to think that I could have the opportunity to work with people who are No. 1 in their field at whatever they are doing,” said Igbokwe, who is currently taking college-level course through the Brockton High School International Baccalaureate Programme

So does Igbokwe study hard or what?

“You have to, yeah,” said the Brockton High School senior. “Usually, I do things after school until 7 or 8 p.m. Then I do homework until 1 or 2 a.m. Then I wake up again.”

Growing up as the son of Nigerian immigrants, Igbokwe’s parents instilled a strong work ethic in him, pushing the Brockton boy to study hard, especially when he was younger. Nowadays, Igbokwe said he is self-motivated.

That self-motivation isn’t limited to books and homework. Igbokwe is also active with extracurriculars, including an after school job working for the Massachusetts Coalition Occupational Safety and Health in Boston, and volunteerism with the C5 New England youth program.

Igbokwe said he started as a volunteer for MassCOSH about two years ago, but then worked his way up to an internship and then a job there. In that job, a few weeks ago, Igbokwe said he participated in a walk through at the Boston Latin School testing air quality, as part of an asthma prevention program.

Igbokwe is also a devoted player of the baritone horn, playing in the school band since he was in fourth grade. He plans to take music as a minor in college.

His mother Chidinma Igbokwe expressed pride and excitement for her son, as did the rest of the local Nigerian Igbo ethnic community from the Umuada Igbo organization.

She thanked Brockton Public Schools for “bringing the best out of my son,” calling it some good news in a city of so many negative stories.

“Every time we hear about kids on drugs, kids with guns, but we never hear something good about Brockton,” Chidinma Igbokwe said. “Hopefully, I can open someone's eyes to see that going to private school doesn't automatically make you a strong student or a good student. ... If you learn and concentrate you can make it. ... Whatever you do, try and be the best. That’s what we instill.”

Igbokwe said he doesn’t hold a grudge against Yale University, the only one of the eight Ivy League schools that rejected his application. He said it’s more about the right fit, rather than qualifications, at a certain point.

Igbokwe said his parents convinced him to apply to every Ivy League school, because he was planning to apply to some colleges in California. If an Ivy League school accepted him, it would be a better option closer to home, the parents rationalized, according to Igbokwe.

The Ivy League-bound student said he’s grateful for the education he received in Brockton, and is now looking forward to his collegiate opportunities.

“I felt as if the education I got here was extremely good,” he said. “At (one of these Ivy League schools), I will have the opportunity to explore, A, more of my passions, and, B, to do more meaningful work inside the actual fields I plan to go into. It’s very exciting.”

http://www.wcvb.com/article/brockton-student-accepted-to-harvard-and-6-other-ivy-league-schools/39229034

look at another tribalistic thread

DrDeji20:
look at another tribalistic thread

Swerve if you've got nothing to say.

Proudly IGBO!!

I appreciate this. The guy, an Igbo and a Nigerian, has made me, a Yoruba and Nigerian, too, proud. That is the result of hard work and such feat is achievable for anybody who is ready to pay the price.

Keep soaring lad!

sammyscholar:
I appreciate this. The guy, an Igbo and a Nigerian, has made me, a Yoruba and Nigerian, too, proud. That is the work of hard work and such feat is achievable for anybody who is ready to pay the price.

Keep soaring lad!

my brother, am not being tribalistic but there is nothing proud there...
Its only in Nigeria that they can come out to brag but can they in the usa?
This is because american people know that these 8 ivy colleges have reserved quota for africans just like handicaps quota in a company. We can liken it to a situation in nigeria were special quota is to be reserved for those in core north to study in top 10 uni in nigeria (ui, oau,unn,etc) and After careful observation/consideration of the code and quota, a candidate was chosen in almost all these unis (with some requirements waived so as to satisfy permutation), does that make him a genius? We can term them circumstancial lucky chaps *no beef o

I cannot make rational point from what you said. Why did you take all this stress to abate someone else's achievement? You can commit your time to some other valuable things, bro.

timawoku:
my brother, am not being tribalistic but there is nothing proud there...
Its only in Nigeria that they can come out to brag but can they in the usa?
This is because american people know that these 8 ivy colleges have reserved quota for africans just like handicaps quota in a company. It is similar to that in nigeria, special quota to be reserved for those in core north to study in top 10 uni in nigeria (ui, oau,unn,etc) and After careful observation/consideration of the code and quota, a candidate was chosen in almost all these unis, does that make him a genius? We can term them circumstancial lucky chaps *no beef o

AFONJAS will not like this.....

timawoku:
my brother, am not being tribalistic but there is nothing proud there...
Its only in Nigeria that they can come out to brag but can they in the usa?
This is because american people know that these 8 ivy colleges have reserved quota for africans just like handicaps quota in a company. We can liken it to a situation in nigeria were special quota is to be reserved for those in core north to study in top 10 uni in nigeria (ui, oau,unn,etc) and After careful observation/consideration of the code and quota, a candidate was chosen in almost all these unis (with some requirements waived so as to satisfy permutation), does that make him a genius? We can term them circumstancial lucky chaps *no beef o

Why aren't your brothers grabbing g the quota slots reserved for Africans in all 8 Ivy League schools? Why always Igbos every year or is the bar set lower for the Igbos than for other African ethnic groups?

You may want to to read this thread for more light.
https://www.nairaland.com/3729662/uk-igbo-nigeria-academic-performance

sammyscholar:
I cannot make rational point from what you said. Why did you take all this stress to abate someone else's achievement? You can commit your time to some other valuable things, bro.

I just said it as it is

It still remains a personal achievement and I am not abating any1s Achievement (very typical nigerian mentality), read btw the lines you will see an undertone of reality aand not beef...I have passed that stage a long time ago

timawoku:
I just said it as it is

It still remains a personal achievement and I am not abating any1s Achievement (very typical nigerian mentality), read btw the lines you will see an undertone of reality aand not beef...I have passed that stage a long time ago

It is not the reality, bro. At least, not in this case. The guy did not enjoy AFFIRMATIVE ACTION as you averred. He worked hard to achieve the feat.

jamesibor:


Why aren't your brothers grabbing g the quota slots reserved for Africans in all 8 Ivy League schools? Why always Igbos every year or is the bar set lower for the Igbos than for other African ethnic groups?

You may want to to read this thread for more light.
https://www.nairaland.com/3729662/uk-igbo-nigeria-academic-performance

my goodness!
Getting admission into ivy colleges is not as great an achievement
The achievement is actually graduating with best of grades, that would make Nigeria really proud!
Besides you don't even know which tribe I am from but you are quick to stereotype. Bros I bow o

timawoku:
my goodness!
The achievement is actually graduating with best of grades, that would make Nigeria really proud!
Besides you don't even know which tribe I am from but you are quick to stereotype. Bros I bow o

There is evidence to support that performance in SAT, GCSE, etc correlate with grades on graduation, so?

timawoku:
I just said it as it is

It still remains a personal achievement and I am not abating any1s Achievement (very typical nigerian mentality), read btw the lines you will see an undertone of reality aand not beef...I have passed that stage a long time ago

Let's all agree it's affirmative action. I ask again, why are only Igbo students consistently taking up affirmative action quotas meant for African students in all 8 Ivy League schools?

Doesn't that suggest that they at least perform better than other African nationalities?

jamesibor:


Let's all agree it's affirmative action. I ask again, why are only Igbo students consistently taking up affirmative action quotas meant for African students in all 8 Ivy League schools?

Doesn't that suggest that they at least perform better than other African nationalities?

It is not even Affirmative Action in the first place.

sammyscholar:
It is not even Affirmative Action in the first place.

I know, I'm just engaging the bitter revisionist.

jamesibor:


Let's all agree it's affirmative action. I ask again, why are only Igbo students consistently taking up affirmative action quotas meant for African students in all 8 Ivy League schools?

Doesn't that suggest that they at least perform better than other African nationalities?

yes it does but I am more proud to see us graduate with aces, rather than all these admission of a thing

timawoku:
yes it does but I am more proud to see us graduate with aces, rather than all these admission of a thing

Do you have any evidence to suggest we do not graduate with Aces?

jamesibor:


Do you have any evidence to suggest we do not graduate with Aces?

of course igbos graduate with aces and that is a feat worth celebrating bro, not admissions. That is my submission

timawoku:
of course igbos graduate with aces and that is a feat what celebrating bro, not admissions. That is my submission

Gerrarahia my friend.

jamesibor:


Gerrarahia my friend.

e pain am

Congratulations!