April 26, 2019

Antoinette Love, an 18-year-old senior at the International High School of New Orleans, has been accepted to 115 colleges and universities and awarded $3,775,230 in scholarships — more than any other college-bound senior in the U.S. this year.

“I started applying in September, and just kept applying and applying until my tiny mailbox at home was suddenly overflowing with letter after letter and dozens of scholarship offers,” said Love, who is a native New Orleanian.

Love, who plans to major in elementary education, now holds the national distinction of being among the top seniors accepted by the most colleges with the most financial offers in scholarships, so far.

“Antoinette began her freshman year as a shy girl, and she has grown into a hard-working scholar who is eager to help her fellow students with their academics,” said Sean Wilson, Head of School for IHSNO, which is a public, college preparatory International Baccalaureate high school located in downtown New Orleans.

Love is the oldest of five children, and her parents, Anthony and Yolanda Love, say they’ve wanted the best for her since they were just teenagers when Antoinette came into the world.

“I was nervous when her dad and I had her at the young ages of 15 and 17,” said Yolanda, who gave birth to her daughter six weeks prematurely. Antoinette only weighed 4.4 pounds when she was born.

Love was inducted into the National Senior Beta Club, the National Honor Society, the National English Honor Society, and Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society in her four years at IHSNO, but spends most of her time helping to raise her four siblings ranging in age from nine to 15. Her 15-year-old brother suffers from cystic fibrosis.

Love plans to be busy on the road the next few weeks visiting several colleges that have awarded her scholarships.

And when it comes to tips for seniors applying to colleges and for scholarships, Love’s advice is to “apply, apply, apply.”

“This really is a dream come true,” she said. “All my hours of studying, writing, and classes have paid off in the best possible way and I can’t wait to move forward and start my college education.”

More from Nola Family: Apps for Easier Parenting includes Scholly, a searchable and customization database of college scholarships.