Adrian Ottah

Nationwide — Adrian Ottah, a 17-year-old African American student at University High School in Newark, New Jersey, is graduating with both a high school diploma and a college degree this year.

Born to Nigerian immigrant parents who moved to the U.S., Ottah was inspired by their sacrifices to make the most of his educational opportunities.

“My true motivation was my parents, my immigrant parents,” Ottah told 11Alive. “I know they didn’t have the opportunity to do this, so when I had the opportunity, I just took it and ran with it.”

His school offers a special program where college professors teach college-level courses to a select group of students.

Juggling high school classes and college-level coursework wasn’t easy. Ottah often stayed late after school to complete his college assignments. But his hard work has paid off. Ottah has already racked up enough college credits to potentially earn a bachelor’s degree by the time he is 19 years old.