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by Brianna Cook
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DUBLIN, Ga. (WGXA) — Dublin High School 12th grader Tristen Ellis has accumulated 1.3 million dollars in scholarships and has been accepted into 60 schools across the country.
"That's a milestone that not a lot of people reach," said Tristen.
Besides being an expert in academics, he is also the student body president, beta club president, saxophone alto section leader, an active member of the math team, and the captain of the varsity tennis team.
READ MORE | Dublin senior racks up $1.3 million in merit scholarships, accepted into 60 schools
Tristen says his parents and teachers have encouraged him to reach for the stars.
"They poured so much knowledge and information and love into me and it kind of brought me out of my shell because I remember being the scared freshman on my first day. I definitely was as talkative as I am now, but they kind of just molded me into the person I am today," said Tristen.
One of those teachers is Ben Lanier who oversees helping students prepare for the workforce.
Lanier is not surprised at the success his student is already seeing.
"Kids like Tristen are few and far between, so I'm just really proud of him. I know that he is destined for a great future and he has already created a tremendous legacy for himself," said Tristen.
Despite the vast amount of options, Tristen has picked the University of Georgia.
Tristen's plan is to major in biology, minor in math and get his masters in epidemiology. He also plans on doing the Double Dawgs Program, which allows him to earn both his bachelors degree and masters within 5 years.
With a bright future and high school behind him, Tristen shares a word of advice for students that come after him.
"I would say never give up. Me personally, I started as number 10 in my class and I was determined to never give up. Even though it was going to be pretty tough, because I only had 4 years to get my GPA to where I would like it to be and I currently sit at number 2 in my class. So no matter where you start at it's not where you finish," said Tristen.
