Dave Lewis, a senior at Vigor High School in Prichard, Alabama, has been admitted to 82 institutions and has earned $2 million in scholarship offers.
“I can’t even express how proud I am of Dave,” said Wendolyn Mose, whose son, Dave Lewis, is a senior at Vigor High School in Prichard, Alabama.
In a phone interview, she was referring to the number of colleges that have offered Dave admission in the fall. The current count is 82, with scholarship offers totaling $2 million. “He kept saying, ‘Mama, I’m at this many,’” she recalled as the tally grew.
“He’s always been a good student,” his mother said. “He doesn’t get in any trouble.” Her son, the oldest of three with two younger sisters who also attend Vigor, is “very shy,” she said, and has good manners.
Dave has worked full-time at Wal-Mart while attending Vigor, where he has served as an ambassador and a member of 100 Black Men of America. “After work, he’s in his room,” she explained. He used to like video games, she claims, but now “he doesn’t even pick up the joystick.”
Instead, he does photography in his leisure time. He did some senior photographs for his classmates and intends to one day establish his own business.
Dave is “very determined,” she remarked, and he got it straight from her. “I was a very good student myself,” admits the Vigor graduate from 2002. “I demonstrate to him that hard work pays off.” We talk about life a lot. I informed him that life isn’t easy. You must plant your seeds before they will sprout.”
Dave intends to pursue nursing and eventually become a doctor, according to Wendolyn. She hopes he would attend an HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) and serve as an inspiration to others. But, in the end, it is Dave’s decision to make, which he has yet to do. “He’s thinking about it,” she explained.
