New York senior high achool student Harold Ekeh is grateful, albeit shocked, to have made it to 13 American colleges, including all eight Ivy League schools.

The 17-year-old student of Elmont Memorial High School had applied to enter Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, Stony Brook University, Vanderbilt University and the Ivy League Schools Yale University, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton University.

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With an average grade-point of 100.51 to back him up, Ekeh told the Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that he was "stunned and shocked".

Ekeh, who has always been interested in learning how the human body works, wanted to be a neurosurgeon especially after witnessing his grandmother show symptoms of Alzeimer's disease since he was 11, PEOPLE reported.

Asked what school he would likely attend, the boy said he was still undecided. He was advised by friends and acquaintances to compare the financial aid that can be had, and to visit each school to find out which one has the kind of environment that feels conducive to learning and forging friendships.

Born and raised in Nigeria, Ekeh's parents migrated to the U.S. in search of a better life and better education for heir children. They settled in Long Island when Harold was 8 years old.

In college essays, Ekeh would write about his reflection and experiences when their family resettled on American soil.

"Like a tree, uprooted and replanted, I could have withered in a new country surrounded by people and languages I did not understand. Yet, I witnessed my parents persevere despite the potential to succumb. I faced my challenges with newfound zeal; I risked humiliation, spending my recesses talking to unfamiliar faces, ignoring their sarcastic remarks," Ekeh told The Kansas City Star.

Roseline Ekeh, Harold's mother, expressed her pride over her son's accomplishment, saying that God will direct Harold to the right school.

Ekeh will announce his chosen school later this month.

TagsIvy League, Harold Ekeh, Elmont Memorial High School, Nigerian