When Marie-Fatima Hyacinthe’s parents immigrated from poverty-stricken Haiti, they dreamed of a better life for their daughter, one they hoped she would achieve through education and hard work. Today, to say mission accomplished barely seems to scratch the surface.
That’s because the 17-year-old Brooklyn resident was accepted into a whopping four Ivy League schools this year. She plans to attend Harvard in the fall, making institutions like Yale, University of Pennsylvania and Brown simply her backup plan.
“I come from a family that is very interested in education,” Hyacinthe told Essence.com. “I’m a first-generation Haitian-American. My parents are Haitian immigrants so they value education and hard work above everything because of their background. They taught me to try my best and constantly work at my highest potential. I think I’ve learned a lot about self-motivation and being community-minded from my parents.”
It seems Mom and Dad put her on the path to success back in the seventh grade when they helped her apply for a program called A Better Chance, which helps high-achieving students of color gain access to better educational opportunities. The program helped her land a spot in the prestigious Hewitt School on Manhattan’s tony Upper East Side.
“It’s really small — there are only 30 of us in our grade — so I was able to see where my passions lied and really cultivate my interests,” she explained to Essence. “I can say my school played a huge part because it’s so small and we got individualized attention.”
Hyacinthe will enter Harvard without a major — she’s considering everything from pre-med to international relations — and we have no doubt that no matter what she chooses, her background and determination will assure success.
Photo by marygober via stock.xchang.