Lamont Newell, a 17-year-old student from South Los Angeles, has drawn national attention after earning admission to 65 colleges while overcoming homelessness and family hardship. The valedictorian of Verbum Dei Jesuit High School graduated with a 4.4 GPA and has chosen to attend Columbia University on a reported full-ride scholarship to study industrial engineering. According to local reports, Newell spent part of his childhood sleeping in a car with his family, yet continued to excel academically while teaching himself coding and pursuing a future in STEM education.
