After having her pick of the litter, a senior at a South Fulton high school has finally decided where she wants to attend college.
Makenzie Thompson has received $1.3 million in scholarship offers as well as 49 acceptance letters from colleges and universities across the country.
The senior at Westlake High School has a long list of accomplishments during her time there.
“I am currently the senior class president. I am a four-year veteran and co-captain of the Blue Rain dance team. I am also the vice president of Beta Club. I am one of the baseball managers for the varsity baseball team. I also am a Georgia Merit Scholar recipient. I also am on national honor society, National Honor Society of Dance Arts,” she told 11Alive’s Liza Lucas.
She is also a candidate for an IB certificate and a work-based learning student in the magnet program at her school.
It wasn’t always Thompson’s intention to apply to so many schools. She stated that she simply jumped at opportunities as they presented themselves. She initially just wanted to make sure she had options in case “plan A” didn’t work out.
“I just took advantage of that opportunity to go ahead and apply to many schools when I went to college fairs, received a fee waiver, and took part in all that,” she said.
Fort Valley State University in Central Georgia sent the first acceptance letter. They’re now arriving by the dozens. Thompson stated that her family keeps all of the offer letters in a file at home. It’s been thrilling for the family to see that file grow in size over the weeks.
She has also received acceptance letters from the University of Georgia and Purdue University, among others. Thompson has decided to study animal science at Tuskegee University, a historically Black college and university in Alabama, despite the fact that she is still awaiting a decision letter from Cornell University.
Thomson advises students who are still awaiting a decision from their preferred university to “trust the process.”
“Everything will work out as it needs to be as long as you put in the hard work, stay on top of it, and don’t give up,” she said.
