Video shows high school senior opening Duke University acceptance at mother s gravesite By Caitlin O Kane Student opens college acceptance at mom s grave
When high school senior Skylar Hughes received an email from Duke University, she intentionally waited 16 hours to check it. It was a status update on her application to the school, but Hughes didn t want to open it at home – she wanted to take the email to her mother s gravesite.
Hughes, a senior at Grayson High School in Loganville, Georgia, lost her mother unexpectedly in 2016, according to a GoFundMe created for her. She has been dancing at the Northeast Atlanta Ballet Company since she was three years old and has excelled in school, earning a 4.1 GPA.
Like many high school seniors, Skylar Hughesâ plate is full just about every day.
In addition to maintaining a 4.1 grade-point average at Grayson High School, Hughes has two part-time jobs and an internship at the Yellow River Wildlife Sanctuary. She also has a considerable community service background, most notably with the DoSomething Club, which facilitates community-wide initiatives regarding mental health awareness and Black Lives Matter issues.
Suffice it to say, when nighttime rolls around, Hughes generally has no trouble getting to sleep. But on a recent Friday night, she found herself wide awake for long stretches as she had received an online notice about the status of her application to Duke University and wanted to wait until Saturday morning, so she could share the news with her late mother, Rasheda Hughes, who died in 2016.