Exceptional Scholar: Chicago High School Senior Accepted To Six Ivy League Schools and Morehouse College

Black excellence shines from within Payton Pitts, who was recently accepted into all six Ivy League colleges.

ABC 7 reports the high school senior, who is graduating from Francis Parker School in Chicago, is excited for Ivy Day when Ivy League schools reveal which students are admitted to their prestigious institutions. Pitts says he’s ready for the future and to start his collegiate experience. “I got accepted into Princeton, Harvard, Yale, Penn, Columbia, and Cornell,” Pitts said. “It was a weight off my shoulders because everyone knows that’s the day where the last few decisions come out.”

Payton’s mother, Adrienne Pitts, says her son has been driven to succeed. Attending the school since kindergarten, Pitts, 18, is a straight-A student and is also an exceptional basketball player and violinist. With a predominately white student body, AfroTech reports he brought back the Black Student Union to Francis Parker School. “This is all going to be a little embarrassing for him, but he’s earned this with all his hard work and dedication,” Pitts said about her son. I’m not aware of a student, particularly from Parker, who has that sort of success in the Ivy Leagues.”

It wasn’t just the Ivys that accepted him. Morehouse College in Atlanta also believes in him and hopes he attends the HBCU. Administrators of Francis Parker, like principal Dan Frank, are proud of his achievements. “What comes through is his warmth, his insight, and his humility about all of his achievements, his successes, and the respect he has for his classmates, teammates, and teachers,” Frank said.

While he hasn’t made a final decision yet, Pitts plans to visit some of the campuses once spring break is over and then will make his mind up. He does, however, know that he wants to major in finance or business.