Nineteen colleges and universities have sent acceptance letters to a Chicago teen with Autism. Nine of those offered her full-ride scholarships.
18-year-old Kymera Mitchell was diagnosed with Autism over ten years ago. A few years after her diagnosis, doctors told her she could not compete academically with her classmates. Despite odds stacked against her, Mitchell has proudly received a stack of college acceptance letters. Her older brother made a video showing off her accomplishments and some of Mitchell’s acceptance letters. Some of the institutions that accepted her into their program include DePaul, Loyola, Howard, and Hampton.
“If someone or a group of people try to stop you, don’t let them do that because you are way better than that,” she said in an interview with ABC Chicago.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Mitchell attended Alcott College Prep in the North Center neighborhood and maintained a 4.0 GPA. She won over $530,000 in scholarship funding and received over 20 academic awards. Mitchell graduated high school in May. The teen’s mother, Kalaveeta Mitchell, knew her child’s capabilities extended farther than what doctors believed. Kalaveeta advocated for her child when she realized Mitchell excelled past her peers.
“If you have a kid that’s autistic, never ever let anyone in the medical community or the school community tell you that your child ‘cannot’ anything,” Kalaveeta Mitchell told the Chicago Tribune. “There may be levels to what they can do, but I can assure you that they are, a lot of times, smarter than you.”
Life Outside of the Classroom
When Mitchell isn’t in the classroom, she can be found competing in athletic competitions or working on a drawing. She competed in floor hockey and track and field for the Special Olympics. So far, she has won 33 medals and still counting.
“The medals kept building, and I was like, oh my gosh. One year I started counting, and I was like, there are 30-something medals here,” Mitchell explained to ABC Chicago.
Mitchell intends to study digital design with plans to become a graphic designer after college. She has yet to reveal which college she will attend in the fall. She plans to share the decision with her family and friends during a celebration on June 10.