#🙌🙌🙌: How Chris Suggs Got Into His Dream School
To read about more inspiring students like Chris, follow the hashtags #BetterMakeRoom and #CollegeSigningDay on Instagram and post your college acceptance story. Use (#🙌🙌🙌), thanking your three biggest inspirations, for a chance to be featured on Instagram.
“My name is Chris (@chrisjsuggs), and I’m 16 years old. This fall, I’m going to my dream school, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, so I can continue my work in public service. 2014 was probably one of the darkest times you’ve seen in my hometown of Kinston, North Carolina — nearly every other day you were seeing a shooting on the news. I knew I had to do something, and I felt like youth needed a role. So, I invited local media, our mayor, city council members and our police chief to a meeting where I presented my idea for an organization. That was the start of Kinston Teens, a nonprofit that empowers young people through service, leadership and civic engagement. My work there led me to become the youngest recipient ever of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award. And this past January, when the vice provost of admissions gave me a call personally telling me I was accepted into @uncchapelhill, I was overjoyed. I’m so excited to stay close to my community and continue to make a difference.
Three things I’m grateful for:
🙌 My organization, @kinstonteens. Our mission is to empower young people through service leadership, and it’s driven by my passion for my local community of Kinston. I’m committed to improving it.
🙌 Former President @barackobama and former first lady @michelleobama. They are definitely my biggest role models and always have been, throughout their entire time in office.
🙌 My parents. My mom is a teacher, and my dad works for our local government. As public servants, they have always inspired me to get involved — and stay involved.”
