Light
Dark
Light
Dark
Light
Dark
by BOTWC Staff
June 7, 2024
He’s shooting for the stars!
Helms Ategeka is a scholar at Head-Royce School in Oakland, California, NBC 4 Washington reports. A Ugandan immigrant, Helms brought his passion and dedication with him when he moved to the U.S. five years ago. Determined to accomplish his dreams, Helms set out to do his very best academically, participating in 10 different extracurricular activities, from choir to theater all while earning a 3.9 GPA.
“I just really had to remind myself that this is an opportunity, especially where I’m from, that a lot of people don’t have. I wanted to be grateful for that and honor my parents,” Helms told reporters.
An aspiring music artist, Helms focused on selecting a school that would serve his passions and academic prowess, applying to almost 160 schools in total. Still, he didn’t pick a top school to prevent disappointment if he wasn’t accepted. But the surprise was on him, Helms receiving acceptance letters in abundance, receiving $5.3 million in scholarship offers, and being accepted into 122 different colleges.
“I feel really lucky that there are people out there, that there are institutions out there that see the value that I have to give,” Helms explained.
He weighed the pros and cons of each, settling on UC Berkeley because of its fantastic music program and variety of courses. It also happens to be his father’s alma mater.
“That’s how I ultimately decided on Cal, because I was like music, fantastic! Location, fantastic! Now let’s look at everything else,” said Helms.
His father, Chris Ategeka, worked with immigration for years trying to get his son to the U.S. Now that everything is falling into place, he says it brings him great joy to watch his son follow his dreams.
“All the things that I and my family had to go through to be here, sometimes there’s moments where you have to pinch yourself. Is this happening, or is this a dream?,” explained Mr. Ategeka.
“He has found a thing and that thing is music. That brings out so much joy that it is infectious. It is really hard to ignore,” his Dad added.
Cover Photo: Oakland Student Accepted to 122 Colleges, Receives $5.3M in Scholarships/Photo Credit: NBC 4 Washington
By clicking Submit, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
By clicking Submit, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Because of Them We Can (BOTWC) is the Internet’s most inspiring site of Black History and Excellence, celebrating all things positive about the culture.
©️ 2024
Accessibility Tools
