Nigerian-American Teen Rotimi Kukoyi accepted into 15 Universities with Over $2m In Merit Scholarships

Dealing with dilemmas in your teens might not have been quite the task. But in the case of Rotimi Kukoyi, deciding between 15 schools would not have been that easy.

In a post on Instagram, Rotimi shared his experience while preparing for college.

“Committing to a college was the most agonizing thing I’ve ever done, so I am very sorry for the long wait. I wish I could’ve shared this information with you guys earlier, but those closest to me know that I literally did not finalize my decision until today.”

The teen was a Merit Scholar at his previous school and clearly had plans on going to Yale. However, he talks about his intent to accept the Morehead-Cain full ride scholarship at the University of North Carolina. He wrote “I still did have the freedom to choose what school I wanted to attend. And that’s why I’ve ultimately chosen to accept a full ride Morehead-Cain scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Because with this program, I get the freedom to choose.”

Also enthusiastic about the adventure ahead of him, he also share the possibilities the summer holds for him as he chose to pursue a course in Public Health at the University of North Carolina.

“With the individualised advising team and the network of the program, I get to choose how to pursue my passions. A summer interning at the WHO, or a summer researching HIV in Malawi? A summer spent kayaking Lake Superior or spent hiking through the hills of Alaska? With this scholarship, I’m able to choose the path less traveled by—the road not taken—and define my own journey. And have it all paid for (entering my sugar parent era)”. Exciting!

His heartwarming post highlights his anticipation around the next four years of his life and appreciation to everyone who had been a part of his journey. He wrote:

I’m extremely excited for the next four years, where I will be receiving a unique Health Policy & Management degree from the nationally ranked Gillings School of Public Health. At UNC, I hope to lay the foundations of a career driving health equity in our nation. With this scholarship, I’ll be a student of life, with the world as my classroom and my experiences as my tests.

Thank you to the family members, friends, and educators who have supported me along this journey. Your advice and help have been instrumental to my own successes. I’d also like to thank the universities and scholarships that have recognised my potential—it truly saddened me that I could only choose one.I will forever cherish the friendships I’ve made with students attending other universities, and I wish you all the best and hope that we continue to maintain our relationships 🙂 Promise I’ll visit

Amongst the schools which offered him a scholarship were Harvard, Yale and Johns Hopkins. 

Photo Credit: instagram.com/@rotimikukoyi