Malverne senior accepted into five Ivy League schools

When five Ivy League schools — and several other equally prestigious universities — invite you to attend their school in the fall, how do you select one and turn down the others?

It’s a fantastic problem most people never face, but it’s currently knocking at the door of Ashley Akaeze.

Akaeze, a Malverne High School senior and Lynbrook native, recently received acceptance letters from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and Brown universities, which invited her to join them in September. But that’s not all. Also vying for Akaeze’s interest are New York University, Stanford, Baruch, Macaulay Honors College, and Amherst — which also sent her acceptance letters. The senior received a green light from every school she applied to, and is currently researching which will be her final choice.

“I would say this is among the most prestigious acceptances we’ve seen in the last decade,” said Malverne Superintendent Dr. James Hunderfund. “We’ve had several students who have gotten into the Ivies before, but not in this number,” he added. “She really is an exceptional student.”

Akaeze, who is the high school’s salutatorian this year and has been on the school’s high honor roll for the entirety of her high school years, said she credits her parents for a huge part of her success. “They've always pushed me to achieve excellence in academics and in every other area of my life,” said Akaeze. “They made sure I strove for whatever next level of success was within my reach, taught me that nothing is impossible, and that I should take full advantage of the educational resources offered in this country. I tried to make them proud,” she said. Akaeze’s parents were both born and raised in Nigeria, but she was born in the United States and is a Lynbrook resident.