NJ teen gets into all 8 Ivy League universities

NEW JERSEY (FOX5NY.COM) - A high school student in new jersey is living proof that hard work really does pay off. After being accepted to all eight Ivy League schools, she has her pick of top colleges.

Anna Rezk of Bayonne still can't believe she was accepted to all eight Ivies: Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale.

The High Technical High School student applied to 20 colleges. She recalled the day she received her first letter. It was from Princeton. She said she refused to open the letter at first and then when she did, she and her brother did a lot of screaming.

Not only did she get accepted to all eight schools but they all offered her a full ride. She said that is a relief because her mother is single and next year three kids will be in college.

Marvat Andrawes, her mom, told Fox 5 she knew Anna (who has a 5.063 GPA and a 1570 SAT score) was capable of accomplishing just this. She said she is very proud of her daughter.

But it hasn't been easy for this family. Anna's parents immigrated from Egypt. Then five years ago, her father died of pancreatic cancer. Her college application essay was about him.

Since her father's cancer diagnosis, Anna developed an interest in science and cancer research. She said she hopes to one day find a cure. She also said she knows her father is proud and would be bragging about her.

So where will Anna attend college? She hasn't made her big decision just yet. She will visit some of the universities and will make a decision by May 1.