Adrian Ottah has spent countless hours at his computer, but not playing video games. At just 17 years old, he has simultaneously earned a high school diploma and a two-year associate’s degree.
“My true motivation was my parents, my immigrant parents. I know they didn’t have the opportunity to do this, so when I had the opportunity, I just took it and ran with it,” Ottah said.
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Ottah’s parents moved to New Jersey from Nigeria a few years before he was born, seeking the opportunities America promises.
“For greener pastures. I heard in America you could live your dream, so I said, ‘OK, let me go see that dream,'” said Ottah’s mother, Miriam Watson.
Ottah attends University High School in Newark, where a special program allows college professors to teach college-level courses to select students.
Through this program, Ottah earned 60 college credits after countless days of hard work. He admits that while college classes are challenging, they are not insurmountable for him.
“I’m graduating with over a 3.0 GPA in my college classes while also juggling high school classes, where I have a 3.5 GPA,” said Ottah.
His mother, deeply proud of her son’s achievements, recognizes the significance of his accomplishments.
“It’s amazing. I’m at a loss for words—I’m so proud of him,” she said.
Ottah aspires to honor his parents’ sacrifices and alter the course of his family’s future within a single generation. With the college credits he has already earned, he is on track to graduate from college by the time he is just 19 years old.
