Ivy League Bound
DHS valedictorian chooses Harvard over several prestigious suitors
When Denton High School ’ s Adinawa
Adjagbodjou walked across the stage in early June alongside 472 of her peers , she did so with the distinction of being a class valedictorian . One other distinction – the only documented of its kind in Denton ISD history – wasn ’ t commemorated by an honor cord or stole , however .
Adinawa ’ s biggest graduation accomplishment is one few people can boast : being accepted into seven of eight Ivy League schools . With acceptance letters from Columbia , Cornell , Dartmouth , Harvard , Pennsylvania , Princeton and Yale , the only Ivy League school she wasn ’ t immediately accepted in was Brown – and she may have received admission had she not told them she would attend Harvard and taken herself off the school ’ s waitlist .
With the enviable task of deciding which school to attend – compounded by the fact that she was also accepted into a variety of other top-tier universities such as Stanford , Notre Dame and the University of Virginia – Adinawa said her visit to Harvard made her feel at home , making the choice easier .
“ I went to three of the schools I was accepted into – Princeton , Stanford and Harvard – but Harvard ’ s atmosphere really set it apart ,” she said . “ I loved the academic environment and how they encourage you to learn and surround yourself with different ideas . People there seem willing to do all kinds of things to better themselves .”
Adinawa also cited the school ’ s educational philosophy of trying different fields and learning from others as one of the major factors in her decision to attend Harvard . That philosophy is similar to what she learned in Denton High School ’ s International Baccalaureate classes .
In IB classes , students are held to lofty academic standards that involve dissecting how actions in one country can impact others across the globe . Adinawa mentioned that in a history class , she and her classmates learned how the United States ’ bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II impacted Japan by reading accounts from Japanese survivors .
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PHOTOS BY ANTHONY TOSIE
Recent Denton High School alumna Adinawa Adjagbodjou addresses the commencement crowd during her school ’ s graduation ceremony on Friday , June 3 . Adinawa graduated with top honors as both a valedictorian and recipient of an International Baccalaureate diploma .
“ Traditionally , American history classes only look at an American perspective , but in our class , we looked at that side as well as the other global points of view ,” Adinawa said . “ That was one of the most eye-opening experiences ever , when it came to reading accounts from atomic bomb survivors . That ’ s one of the things I love about IB – having different perspectives and people from different backgrounds really makes conversations more interesting .”
Adinawa ’ s reasoning of choosing Harvard for its global perspective also reflects her upbringing . She was born in Benin , a small country in West Africa , before moving to the United States with her family at a young age .
The family eventually settled in Denton when she was in fourth grade , enrolling her in Newton Rayzor Elementary School . She was among the first Denton ISD students to take IB classes , having joined Newton Rayzor when it was still in the process of gaining accreditation .
Beth Hughes , Denton ISD ’ s high school IB coordinator for upperclassmen , said Adinawa ’ s experiences , drive for success and care for others perfectly meshes with what IB classes teach and what Adinawa will further explore at Harvard as she continues her education .
“ I could tell in the beginning that she had