ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis high school senior is faced with making a decision not many of her counterparts are tasked with. The student from KIPP St. Louis High School received acceptance letters from 40 different colleges.
When you talk to Alana Wilson, you meet a reserved, but poised young lady who knows how to set her sights high. She says she took high school seriously because she knew she wanted to make something of herself.
A 7-year-old photo of a 5th-grade Alana showed her holding a sign with her future high school graduation date. That time has now come.
"May 23rd,” she said with excitement.
The soon-to-be high school graduate whose been accepted into 40 different colleges.
"I would just be sitting in my room applying, just as I am with scholarships right now. When I'm bored, I'm just applying. When I’m not bored, I'm just applying,” the 18-year-old said.
The student has not only excelled in academics but also on her school’s wrestling and step teams. Last month her step team appeared on Show Me St. Louis.
Wilson says she loves stepping instills.
"Discipline, time management, teamwork, sisterhood … I want to do it while I’m in college,” she said.
There will be plenty of time for that.
School administrators love success stories like hers. Every senior at KIPP St. Louis has been accepted into at least one college. It's been that way for three years now.
"It's something we instill in all of our students from the time they're with us to the time that they leave and we stay with them and support them after they leave our doorstep to make sure they receive the support that they need,” said Damien Myers, president of Academics for KIPP St. Louis.
As for Alana, she's racked up a million dollars in scholarships from the three dozen schools that want her. She's narrowed it down to two.
"Alabama State is my first option … my second choice is Missouri State,” she said. Since she'll be the first in her family to go to college, she knows she's paving the way for her younger siblings. “I kind of want to set an example for them and kind of make my parents proud."
Wilson said she wanted to become a psychologist or an actress.