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Sean 'Diddy' Combs Delivers Commencement Address at Howard University

Source: Allison Shelley / Getty

Via Bossip:

This teenager from New Jersey is proving that you don’t have to bribe your way into college to be successful.

Despite his struggles of being in and out of homelessness, 17-year-old Dylan Chidick has been accepted into 17 different colleges — and that’s only including the acceptance letters he’s received so far.

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“I was really excited because I’m going to be the first person in my family to go to college,” Chidick said. “Going through homelessness let me know that there’s going to be obstacles, but as long as [our family is] together, we can get through it.”

Chidick’s family moved to the US from Trinidad when Chidick was just 7 years old, but even after becoming citizens, they endured countless heartaches. His single mother and her three kids were in and out of homelessness and Chidick’s two younger twin brothers live with serious heart conditions. The student said he was inspired by his mother’s courage to reach out to the non-profit Women Rising and ask for help, which is when the center put the family in permanent supportive housing, giving Chidick a safe place to study.

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Dylan worked to become the senior class president at Henry Snyder High School in Jersey City and was even inducted into the Honor Society. He also served on the city-wide student council and said he tried to “float around” to every club.

SEE ALSO: Another Georgia Teen Accepted To 39 Colleges And Receives $1.6 Million In Scholarships

The 17-year-old has to choose between a plethora of different schools, including Albright College, Ramapo College and Caldwell University–but he’s still waiting to hear back from his top choice, the College of New Jersey. He applied to about 20 colleges and universities in total.

Congratulations to this young man!

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New Jersey Teen Goes From Being Homeless To Getting Accepted Into 17 Colleges  was originally published on getuperica.com