Arianna Alexander Breaks Scholarships Record With $3 Million, Chicago Student Accepted To 26 Universities

Arianna Alexander adds $3 million in scholarship offers to her already impressive list of accomplishments, which include being Kenwood Academy’s valedictorian, earning a 5.1 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and getting accepted to 26 universities. Miss Arianna Alexander, a future business mogul, has decided to attend the prestigious Wharton School of Business.

Arianna Alexander has been offered $3 million in scholarships and was accepted to 26 universities. According to Arianna Alexander, her father, Pierre Alexander, planted the seed to break the record of getting the most scholarships by sharing the story of Derrius Quarles.

Mr. Alexander was inspired by another Chicago student named Derrius Quarles, (father was stabbed to death, mother was a drug addict), who in 2009 after being tossed around from one foster home to another, was able to win more than $1 million in scholarship offers and went on to attend the Morehouse College.

Arianna Alexander, who is Kenwood Academy’s valedictorian, was happy when she amassed half a million dollars in scholarships, so her father kept pushing her to get a million dollars, after that, two and why not, three million bucks. The father of four told local reporters:

“I planted the seed in Arianna’s mind that you can do the same thing. So when the process got started and a million was achieved, let’s go for two. I said let’s go for three and she did it.”

Alexander, who lives in the Hyde Park area, graduated with a 5.1 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, and was accepted to 26 universities, including six Ivy League schools, (all 26 colleges offered scholarships). The teenager said she was contacted by so many schools that she had no idea what to do. She said:

“It was a lot to take in. I received emails, letters. It was just like, ‘Come here, come here!’ They were bombarding me with all this information.”

After talking with Paul Brush, one of her teachers, Arianna Alexander was forced to turn down 25 schools and decided to attend the University of Pennsylvania this fall. Alexander shared:

“He said, ‘Do you know about the Wharton School of Business?’ I said, ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.'”

“As teachers, we have a big moment to play with the lives that we have in our classrooms,” Mr. Brush said. Quarles and Alexander have another thing in common other than being from the same neighborhood – great life motto.

Quarles believed that his determination would prove that he is better than his beginnings. While Alexander said “Work hard, pray on it, and don’t give up.” Truer words have never been spoken. Her dad explained:

“My wife and I have always stressed to her, if you do your best, you will be the best. So we try to make sure she upholds to that.”

Pierre Alexander has already set new goals for his daughter after she graduates from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. He shared:

“When she graduates from Penn, that will be a second goal. We expect bigger and better things for her.”

Arianna Alexander plans to be an entrepreneur and own four restaurants. She is already hard at on work on the menus.

What are your thoughts on Arianna Alexander’s accomplishment?