Something worth celebrating? The case of Kwasi Enin.

Image from and available at The Independent.

I can understand why some people are excited, encouraged, or otherwise happy by the news of Long Island teenager, Kwasi Enin, earning admission to all eight schools in the Ivy League.  After all, the chances of any applicant getting into any one of them are slim at best.  Added to that is that Enin is a first-generation immigrant; meaning his parents came to the United States, likely looking for a better quality of life for their children.  Plus, he is a likable young man, evidenced by this interview.

Yet, it seems to me that applying to all of the schools in the Ivy League is either a sign of one 17-year-old's overwhelming arrogance or an indication of poor high school guidance counseling.  I tend to think it might be the latter, which raises a host of questions for me as to how many of our nation's students are being mismatched with their higher education aspirations - especially those with fewer means than those on Long Island.

The Ivy League's eagerness to accept Enin might also suggest the degree to which elite schools are beating the same bushes for outstanding minority students in response to public demands to diversify their student bodies.  I mean no disrespect to Enin nor do I mean to diminish his accomplishment.  I do wonder, however, why all eight Ivy League schools accepted the same student rather than each school finding eight separate deserving students to accept.

On a personal note, I do wish Enin the very best in his endeavors; which he undoubtedly can do by attending the University of Pennsylvania.