A local high school student has been accepted to all eight Ivy League schools.
Ivan Vazquez, a senior at Capital High School, found out on Thursday and said it’s still sinking in.
"Like in the 9th grade I'd see these articles like oh ‘New Jersey teen’ or ‘New York teen got into all 8 Ivy leagues,’” he said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh like they must have cured cancer or something.’"
Now, it’s an Idaho teen.
"I applied early to Harvard and I got in and it was one of the best days of my life,” Ivan said. “I just could not believe it."
That was just the first of many.
“I got Yale, and then I got Princeton and as I was just opening them I was like ‘there's no way,’” he said.
The Ivy League first came on to Ivan’s radar in elementary school. He heard about Harvard and when he asked about his parents about it, he says they told him it was “the best school.” Then when Ivan was in 6th grade, his older brother applied and got accepted to Brown University.
"It was like a world away, but then after my brother got in I was like ‘you know, I can actually do this if I work towards it,’" he said.
Feeling inspired and a little competitive with his brother, Ivan said that was when he started dreaming of an Ivy League education. At first he was set on Harvard, but after some research over this past summer, he decided an education from any of these schools would be amazing.
"You can't go wrong with any of them, so I just decided I'm going to take my chances, see what I can get and just hope for the best."
Ivan got the best, with acceptances to all eight Ivy League institutions. He says it did take a lot of hard work and dedication. Ivan said he takes course that challenge him and is involved in his school, taking part in varsity sports, participates in mock trial, etc.
“Just believe in yourself, you can do it. Just get involved in your school. colleges love to see that you're getting involved, no matter in what way, as long as you push yourself and just do what you love."
Ivan hasn’t made a decision on which school he will attend.