Meet the Michigan HS Student Who’s Received $2 Million in Scholarship Offers [VIDEO]
Alana Burke is no stranger to hard work. Studying, doing homework, and reading were the norm for the Detroit teen who just graduated with a 4.2-grade point average. Burke has received roughly two dozen scholarship offers totaling more than $2 million.
Burke gives credit to a strong community of family, teachers, counselors and King High School Dr. Deborah Jenkins.
"Dr. Jenkins who helped me through this process, helped me become more confident in myself and my abilities," Alana tells WJBK. "She taught me a lot about the challenges I would face in America as a young black woman."
Her principal acknowledges that living in a crime-ridden city like Detroit carries a unique set of challenges.
"It takes a lot of hard work and determination but you can never give up," she said. "You can never forget what you truly are worth. People can down talk you and say you're not going to do this, you're not going to do that because you're an African-American in a city that's crime-ridden, but you can still do it."
This fall Alana plans to attend the University of Michigan, majoring in Women's and Gender Studies with a minor in Gender and Health.
Job well done!