Watch Andre Fa'aoso and his mum's reaction to the news that the West Aucklander was accepted into the Ivy League university. Video / Supplied
West Auckland teen Andre Fa’aoso has had a whirlwind day of media interviews, work and study - but he still needs to clean his room when he gets home.
The 18-year-old shared his story yesterday after receiving news he had been accepted into one of the world’s top schools: Yale University.
His story resonated closely with readers, with almost 12,000 reactions to the article on the Herald Facebook page and hundreds of people sharing congratulatory messages and praise for the teenager from Te Atatū, West Auckland.
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. I’m grateful for all the encouragement and all the congratulations that I’ve received from everyone,” he said.
“It’s just really reassuring and humbling for me.”
Andre, who is half Tongan, acknowledged that one of the nicest things that had happened since the story broke was that many Pacific youth had contacted him to share how his achievements had inspired them.
Andre Fa'aoso has been accepted into Ivy League college, Yale University, in the US. Photo / Michael Craig
“I’ve had parents that have messaged me or just commented on my TikTok post or my Facebook or my Instagram.
“I’ve gotten messages from other Pacific Islanders who study in the US at the moment.”
Among those who had been in touch were students from Stanford and another at Columbia University, in New York, who told him how proud they were to hear of Pacific Islanders getting into the Ivy League universities.
Another message was from a student in American Samoa, who has also just been accepted to Yale.
“I’ve gotten so much attention. It’s been amazing. I’m just trying to process everyone contacting me.”
The former Rutherford College student, who was head boy and dux last year, received a number of academic scholarships in his final year of school and has been praised by teachers and peers alike for his leadership qualities and humility.
His hard work and grades led him to apply to colleges in the US - and was granted interviews with Ivy League colleges Princeton and Yale, as well as with Stanford University.
Asked how he kept up with all his different tasks throughout the week, he said he had a lot of reminders on his calendar and a special system on his email.
Study and responsibilities: ‘I’ve still got work, a room to clean’
“I have a lot of pinned tabs on my laptop with different tables that schedule when different assignments are due and my emails are all organised in different categories under different things that I do work on - dates and deadlines that are coming up for those things.
“Money’s something that I like to save and hold onto as well. So here and there, whenever I can do some work, I will prefer to as well - both to provide for myself, but also help out my mum.”
