Harvard-Bound Student Gives Away Her $40K Scholarship at H.S. Graduation!

A Massachusetts high school senior who will attend Harvard College in the fall gave out her $40K scholarship at graduation!

As reported by WBZ, last Friday at the Fitchburg High School graduation, Verda Tetteh, 17, was awarded a General Excellence Award from her school, which gifts her $10,000 per year for the next four years.

However, Verda — who per CNN received additional scholarships, in addition to financial aid from Harvard — turned it down and suggested that the money go to someone in need.

“I am so very grateful for this. But I also know that I am not the one who needs this the most,” she said during the ceremony.

Following Verda’s shocking announcement, the crowd — comprising family, classmates, and teachers — applauded and cheered the teenager for her generosity.

Specifically, Verda told WBZ that she hopes the award goes to a student who will pursue education at a community college.

“I’m excited to see who it helps and how that changes their life, so I am so happy that God gave me the strength to do that,” Verda told the news outlet.

At the ceremony, Verda heard the school’s principal Jeremy Roche tell her and her classmates to be “bold and selfless.” This made Verda think of her mother Rosemary, who brought her to the U.S. as a child from their native Ghana and earned her bachelor’s degree from a local community college at the age of 47.

Rosemary — who currently works two jobs, including an overnight shift at a group home — told CNN that she was initially “in shock” by her daughter’s speech but is proud of Verda’s altruism.

“I just knew she’s ready for me to let her be on her own,” Rosemary said. “I’m not afraid, and I’m not sad about it that someone’s going to get some good help. If I had gotten that help, I would have been thrilled.”

“Now I’m 100 percent sure she is ready to go into the world on her own,” Rosemary added to WBZ.

Roche also told CNN, “When she started speaking on the microphone, I was overwhelmed. I think a lot of people in the stadium were, honestly. I was so moved by her generosity.”

As of this writing, the details of who gets Verda’s scholarship are still being worked out. CNN reports that the school is trying to contact the family who set up the scholarship to see if they would be open to reallocating the money.

Regardless of what happens, Verda is confident she made the right decision.

“Yes, I would do it again,” she said to WBZ, adding, “Whatever happens, someone else needed it more.”