Schools

West Philly Senior Earns $1M In Scholarships From 18 Colleges

Shanya Robinson-Owens, who attends Carver High School of Engineering and Science in Philadelphia, plans to major in psychology.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — A West Philadelphia teenager and her family are "overjoyed" after the high school senior was awarded more than $1 million in scholarships from 18 colleges and universities.

Seventeen-year-old Shanya Robinson-Owens, who attends George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science, received $1,074,260 in scholarships after she was accepted to colleges including Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; La Salle University in Philadelphia; Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri; and Temple University in Philadelphia, among others.

“I didn’t know if I should cry, laugh — I didn’t know what to do," Robinson-Owens told WPVI in Philadelphia.

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Shanya's aunt, Christine Owens, told "Good Morning America" that Shanya has always been always a star student.

"We are overjoyed," Owens told GMA. "I knew she wouldn't have a problem getting into colleges, but we didn't know they would award her this much money in scholarship funds."

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Cherelle Parker, city councilmember for Philadelphia's 9th District, tweeted her congratulations to Robinson-Owens.

"Too often, we find ourselves talking about 'what is wrong.' We traffic in hopelessness. Well, Shanya Robinson-Owens from @CarverHSES is an example of something going extraordinarily right! Well done, young lady!" Parker tweeted.

When she's not honing her skills in robotics and journalism, Robinson-Owens told GMA she enjoys writing and listening to music.

According to WPVI, Robinson-Owens still hasn't picked her first-choice college. She has until May 1 to make her decision, and plans to major in psychology.

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