Senior Highlight: Montview senior shares his journey to acceptance at Cornell University

DSST: Montview senior Kidus Legesse had a 6.3% chance of getting into Cornell University. Despite the odds, he's going to be attending on a full ride this fall. We sat down to ask him a few questions about his journey:

Q: When did you start thinking about college?

A: I started thinking about college since I was in sixth grade, probably. I also went to another DSST middle school, so we were told pretty early to focus on college. That was pretty much my goal since sixth grade, to get into college. 

Q: Where will you be attending college in the fall? What was your reaction when you found out you got in?

A: I'll be attending Cornell University in the fall. I'll be majoring on computer science... I was really excited when I got into Cornell. I guess I was working really hard and it was my dream school so I was pretty happy when I got in.

Q: How did DSST help shape you to achieve your dreams after high school?

A: DSST helped me realize how important education is. It helped me focus more on college and preparing for college and life outside of high school. A lot of AP classes that I take a really challenging, and this is going to help me in the future for my college classes. So, DSST has prepared me pretty well.

Kidus and English teacher Kailey Buttrick sat down to share more about the application journey, advice for other students and heartwarming stories about what it means for Kidus to have achieved his goal. Click here to watch the full interview.