Harold Ekeh immigrated to the U.S. from Nigeria with his parents when he was 8-years-old. They left a comfortable life in their homeland to provide more opportunities for their family in America.
Harold’s parents worked diligently, teaching their children that opportunities come to those who work hard. The former Target store clerks never gave up. Ekeh says of his parents, “No matter how many times they would get knocked down, they were always positive.”
Harold Ekeh, who is graduating from Elmont Memorial High School in New York, now has his pick among the top universities in the country: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania. He whole-heartedly credits his parents with his academic success.
“My parents’ hard work and my hard work finally paid off,” Ekeh told the New York Post. “My parents left comfortable lives in Nigeria for their kids to have opportunities. So I take advantage of every single opportunity that has been afforded to me.”
Ekeh hopes to become a neurosurgeon with the goal of finding a cure for Alzheimers, which his grandmother suffers from. He is leaning towards Yale.
