Kwasi Enin, the 17-year-old Long Islander who was accepted by all the Ivy League schools has chosen Yale University for its name in music and medicine.
Enin announced his decision Wednesday afternoon at press conference at his William Floyd High School, Mastic Beach. "I'm excited and proud to announce that this fall I will become a member of the Yale class of 2018," he said.
It took just a single visit to the university's New Haven, Connecticut, campus for Enin to zero in on Yale. "My Bull Dog Days experience last week was incredible," he said at the press meet. "I met geniuses from all across the world. And everyone there was so friendly and inviting. ... And I believe that their deep appreciation and love for music, like I have, was very critical for me deciding to go there."
Enin had maintained that financial package would also play an important role in his decision about which Ivy League college to go to. He said that all the schools offered him the same package.
As a part of application process at the Ivy Leagues, Enin wrote an essay on his love for music. Enin explained how music sparked his "intellectual curiosity" and how it acted as a medium to connect to his community through plays. He also said that he was grateful to music for being his educator and teaching the importance of leadership, teamwork and friendship. Along with this essay he had 2250 out of a 2,400 SAT score to his credit.
Barbara Butler, principal of William Floyd High School, said that Enin is good at both academics and extra-curricular activities. He plays three instruments for the chamber orchestra, sings in an a cappella group, throws shot put and discus for the high school's track and field team and also plays lead roles in school dramas since the ninth grade.
"Usually kids are good athletes or good musicians or good actors, but they don't have all three and then on top add student government. It's a balancing act. He somehow finds time to do it all and then volunteer at a local hospital," Butler said.
Enin, a first generation American, said he wants to follow in the footsteps of his parents, both immigrants from Ghana, and study medicine.
