RINCON — It was the kind of joy that is reserved for the most special of occasions.
Ashari Palmer recently received a bevy of hugs and thunderous cheers from her Effingham College & Career Academy STEM teachers and classmates after receiving a notice of acceptance from Harvard University. Palmer is the first ECCA STEM student to be accepted by an Ivy League institution, a fact that makes her exceeding proud.
“It’s like you are the who one is setting the precedent,” she said. “It’s a very different feeling than like, ‘Oh! I am following in the footsteps,’ as opposed to, ‘I am creating the footsteps.’ They are mine now.
“Just to know that anybody who comes behind me and gets in (to an Ivy League school) would be following my example is just insane.”
In addition to Harvard, Palmer previously showed interest in attending Berry College, Augusta University and Mercer University. She was accepted by them all.
“Originally, I was going to apply to Harvard,” Palmer said, “but one of my math teachers (Jan Avila) really encouraged me to do it.”
Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and one of the most prestigious ones in the world.
Palmer is in the process of obtaining financial aid. The total 2020-2021 cost of attending Harvard without financial aid is $49,653 for tuition and $72,391 for tuition, room, board and fees combined.
“I am applying for all sorts of scholarships to help with the payment because, yes, that is a lot of money,” she said.
Families with students on scholarship pay an average of $12,000 annually toward the cost of a Harvard education. Fifty-five percent of Harvard students receive need-based scholarship aid, and the average grant this year is more than $53,000.
Palmer, a voracious reader, said she intends to pursue a degree in psychology.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to be for a while,” she said. “In middle school, we read a story and it had a psychologist in it. The story outlined the responsibilities of a psychologist and I was like, ‘Oh! That sounds pretty cool.’
“I did some research and feel in love. I decided that’s what I want to do and there is no question about it now.”
In addition to reading, Palmer likes to sing.
“I was in chorus for a lot of years, up until this year, since about the fifth grade,” she said. “That’s one of my passions, too, and I plan on working on that in college as well.”
In addition to her supportive teachers, Palmer shared credit for Harvard achievement with her family, especially her mother and grandparents.
She said, “They were always telling me, ‘You are super smart and you can get in to whatever you apply.’ The told me, ‘You can do it as long as you put in the work.’ Basically, they said, ‘You can do anything.’”
