N.J. High School Senior Who Grew Up in Nigeria Is Accepted to 7 Ivy League Schools

David Odekunle plans to study biology and hopes to become a doctor 

For many high school seniors, getting into one Ivy League school is a cause to celebrate — let alone seven.

But that’s exactly what New Jersey student David Odekunle has done, receiving seven acceptances to almost all of the country’s most elite universities.

“It just kept getting better and better,” David told WCBS. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime feeling.”

The sense of accomplishment is strong for David, who grew up in the small town of Jebba, Nigeria, and briefly lived in Scotland before his family relocated to Bloomfield, New Jersey, according to local outlet the Daily Voice.

“Growing up in Nigeria, I had so much more adversity and challenges,” David told WCBS. “So being able to use that to not let it deter me from achieving what I want to achieve is what has played such a huge role in my life.”