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All Ivy Leagues and Seven other Top Colleges Contend for Florida Teen

Ashley Adirika, a high school student in Florida, has always wanted to attend an Ivy League university. Consequently, in the late autumn, she sent applications to the eight institutions.

Ashley started opening eight browsers on her laptop on Ivy Day, the spring day when the most prominent institutions reveal their first-year admission decisions, one for each applicant’s portal. One letter of acceptance appeared. Another follows. Another, please. It wasn’t until she got them all that she realized she was missing out on a lot.

For Ashley whose mom left Nigeria for the US 30 years ago, it was a bizarre experience. Family members, including her four siblings, squealed with joy as they handed Ashley acceptance letters that day.

“I decided to attempt each school and see what happened. And I had no idea I’d be admitted to every single one of them,” and she cried tears of joy.

Ashlyn, who recently completed her senior year at the Senior High School in Miami Beach, is now a member of an elite club: Ivy League schools have accepted fewer than 12 percent of their applicants since 2018. Only 3.2 percent of Harvard’s applications were approved this year, the lowest percentage in the university’s history.

In addition to Stanford, Vanderbilt, and Emory, Ashley was accepted into seven other prestigious universities. This September, she plans to study government at Harvard.

On the debate team, she’s been a major player. Ashley was torn between Harvard and Yale, but in the end, it came down to what she wanted to accomplish in the future. Learning how the government operates and how policies might be used to improve the economic inequities in different areas of the country are her goals.

“Yale was my #1 choice before the college application process. In the end, I found that Harvard’s policy, as well as social policy programs, were just superior, so I decided to attend Harvard for my graduate studies in public policy “She says so herself.

Ashley was a member of the debate club as well as the president of the student council while in high school. Debate Coach, Bess Rodriguez, at neighboring Carol City Middle School, recalls how Ashley, then an eighth-grader, was drawn to debate because of her natural curiosity about the way the world works.

According to Rodriguez, the other students feared debating her because she was such a powerful presence in the squad.

“She had a great deal of knowledge and was articulate. Topics like whether or not the United States should sell armaments to Saudi Arabia were debated in depth. She dived deep into the material, as she always did, “The middle school’s English teacher, Rodriguez, says the same thing.

“Oh no, we must discuss Ashley,” would be the cry from the rest of the class. Everyone from the local bar association to college debaters would comment on how young I was when I told them I was in the 8th grade. ‘She needs to become a lawyer,’ said everyone.”

While in high school, Ashley continues to participate in debate, and she expects to do so at Harvard University as well. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend law school. But she doesn’t know what she plans to do with her law degree.

“In terms of public policy, I’m particularly interested in how it might be used to improve the lives of marginalized groups. That means that, for the time being, I’m planning on becoming a lawyer, “She told herself. Nevertheless, in the long run, I intend to use that as a springboard for policy work.”

As a way of helping other young women, she founded a non-profit.

As far as Ashley is concerned, one thing is for certain: she intends to continue making a difference once she graduates from college.

At the tender age of 17, she founded a mentoring and sisterhood initiative for young women of color called Our Story Our Worth. She thinks that being a member of the debate team taught her how to speak clearly to other members of the group.

Her mother is a single parent of five children, and Ashley says she owes much of her work ethic to her and the ladies in her life.

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Missing Pregnant Cat Found at Ottawa Airport After 11 Days

Jess

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A pregnant cat named Athena was found at the Ottawa International Airport, almost two weeks after she disappeared in the parking area. She had traveled from Winnipeg to Ottawa. The team from Furry Tales Cat Rescue discovered her around midnight on a Tuesday, and thankfully, she’s in good shape.

Volunteer Marta Burczycka from Furry Tales Cat Rescue expressed immense joy and gratitude for Athena’s safe return, highlighting her strong maternal instincts to protect her unborn kittens. The rescue operation caught attention after a helpful tip from Blake Fawcett, an employee working near the airport, who notified the rescue team.

Athena was initially sent to Ottawa on March 21 to get better veterinary care and a safe place to have her kittens. Unfortunately, she escaped when her carrier opened accidentally. For 11 days, volunteers and the rescue team worked tirelessly, setting traps and distributing flyers across the airport to find her before she gave birth.

The community effort was huge, with many airport employees and volunteers spreading the word and looking out for Athena. Janice Richard, one of the trappers, mentioned how they found Athena hungry but still pregnant, emphasizing the collective relief and happiness at her safe recovery.

The rescue story ended happily with Athena being taken care of and preparing to have her kittens in a safe and loving environment, thanks to the persistent efforts of the rescue team and the community’s support.

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America’s Youngest Teacher Started Her Career at 16

Kelly Taylor

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Shania Muhammad became a teacher at just 16 years old, after graduating from college at 15. She grew up in a home where learning was very important. She told “Good Morning America” about how her older brothers and sisters were big influences on her. They did well in school, which inspired her to do the same.

In seventh grade, her father noticed her advanced skills and started preparing her for college entrance exams. This led to her enrolling in college early and feeling like a superhero because she was so young. By 15, she was already finished with college and soon got a job offer to teach.

Muhammad waited until she was 16, so she could drive herself to work, and then started teaching 8-year-old students. These students see her as an adult and respect her, she says. In her classroom, she loves to keep the kids active with group work, presentations, and debates, creating a dynamic and engaging environment.

She encourages open communication in her class, telling her students they can talk about anything with her. Muhammad believes it’s important to have more confidence in success than in failure.

In her conversation with “Good Morning America,” Muhammad shared her view on facing the unknown with courage rather than fear. She encourages people to not hesitate and to create opportunities for themselves if they don’t already exist.

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Millions Tune In To See Conservation Group Save Seals

Kelly Taylor

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Ocean Conservation Namibia (OCN) is a group with a big heart and an important mission. Based in Namibia, a country with long, beautiful coastlines, OCN is dedicated to saving seals, especially the cute baby ones, from dangerous plastic and fishing lines.

Imagine you’re at the beach, and you see a group of seals playing and lounging around. Suddenly, you notice something’s wrong. One of the seals is stuck, tangled up in a mess of plastic or fishing line. It’s struggling and can’t get free. That’s where OCN comes in.

The team at OCN, led by Katja and Naude Dreyer, a married couple passionate about the ocean and its creatures, runs across the beach, right into the groups of seals. They’re on a mission to find any seal that’s trapped in harmful debris. Once they spot a tangled seal, they quickly and carefully cut off the entangling mess and set the seal free.

Since 2020, OCN has rescued about 3,000 seals! That’s a lot of happy, healthy seals swimming back in the ocean because of their efforts. Their rescue missions became super popular online during the pandemic. People all over the world watched their videos, feeling a bit better seeing the seals being saved during tough times.

OCN’s work is unique and impactful. Jeff Harris, a research ecologist, mentioned that the number of seals OCN saves is much higher than in other parts of the world. While he managed to free 100 sea lions in his best year, OCN often saves that many seals in just a month!

The Dreyers started OCN about twelve years ago. Initially, Naude would try to free the seals using a paddle or by grabbing them, but it was tough. Things got better when they received a special seal rescue net, making their missions easier and safer.

During the pandemic, when their kayaking business paused, they focused even more on rescuing seals. They also shared their work online, touching people’s hearts worldwide. Their video titled “Baby seal thanks his rescuers” got over a million views!

OCN not only raises awareness about the seals but also shows us the bigger problem – our oceans are filled with trash. They’ve shown that every little bit helps and that we can all do something to protect our marine life.

With donations from kind-hearted people, OCN has grown, now having a team of seven dedicated members. They’re doing more than just rescuing seals; they’re inspiring others to care about our oceans and the creatures that call them home. The Dreyers themselves have even changed their lifestyle, choosing not to eat fish and other animal products, to live in a way that respects the animals they work so hard to save.

So, Ocean Conservation Namibia is not just about saving seals; it’s about changing the way we see and treat our oceans, one rescue at a time.

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Hero Bus Driver Saves Students from Fiery Danger in New Orleans

Kevin Wells

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In a heart-stopping incident in New Orleans, a school bus driver named Kia Rousseve became a local hero when she saved nine students from a burning bus. Her quick actions turned a potentially tragic situation into a story of courage and quick thinking.

It was a regular Wednesday morning, and Rousseve was on her usual route, about to make her fifth stop, when she noticed something alarming: smoke was coming from the bus. Without a moment’s hesitation, she knew she had to act fast. “As soon as I seen the bus smoking, my instinct was get them off of the bus,” Rousseve recounted.

A little girl on the bus ran up to her and confirmed her fears, saying the bus was on fire underneath. Rousseve didn’t waste a second. She stopped the bus and made sure all the students got off safely. “I turned the bus off and got off. When I got off, the bus blew up,” she said, describing the terrifying sounds of the explosions.

Rousseve’s primary thought during the ordeal was her child, which fueled her determination to ensure the safety of all the students on board. Her employer, Community Academies of New Orleans, praised her actions as “Courage on wheels.” Having driven school buses for three years, Rousseve demonstrated experience and bravery that day.

Feeling grateful and proud, Rousseve believes a faulty alternator was the cause of the fire. She’s relieved and happy that she could save the lives of the children, as well as her own. “I feel great about saving other kids’ lives and saving my life,” she expressed, adding that she felt divine protection was at play during the emergency.

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Mackenzie Scott’s Big Give: $640 Million to Nonprofits

Shannon Jackson

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Mackenzie Scott has made headlines again with her generous donations to nonprofit organizations. Initially, Scott promised to give $1 million each to 250 nonprofits, but she surprised everyone by more than doubling her donation! Now, she’s giving a whopping $640 million to 361 organizations.

So, who is Mackenzie Scott? She’s a billionaire philanthropist who likes to help out by giving her money to groups that do good things for communities. This time, her organization, Yield Giving, decided to help even more than planned because of the great work these nonprofits are doing.

Scott worked with an organization called Lever for Change to find these nonprofits. They had a big, open call where nonprofits could apply for the money, and the response was amazing. Lever for Change said they were so impressed by the work these groups are doing that they wanted to give money to more of them.

Here’s how it broke down: 279 top-rated nonprofits got $2 million each, while another 82 organizations received $1 million each. These groups do all sorts of important work, like helping people get back on their feet after being in jail, or creating theater programs with young people in Los Angeles.

What’s really cool is how they decided who got the money. It wasn’t just a few people making all the decisions. Instead, the nonprofits got to score each other, and then a panel of experts made the final picks. This way, lots of different voices helped choose the winners.

Scott and her team believe it’s important to shine a light on these organizations that are making big changes but might not always get noticed. They want to make sure these groups have what they need to keep doing their great work.

Mackenzie Scott said sharing information about these donations is important because it helps others see the good that comes from giving. She hopes that by talking about it, more people will be inspired to help out in their own ways.

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