Photo via: Christian Brothers High School
Over the weekend, 17-year-old Dwight Moore, Jr. graduated from Christian Brothers High School as its first solo African American valedictorian.
In two instances in the past, an African American student has shared the title with another classmate. However, with a 5.28 GPA, Moore secured the Memphis, Tennessee high school’s top academic spot and made history doing it.
“Even though it’s a great accomplishment, it shouldn’t be just solely focused on race.” Dwight’s mom, Geneva Simpson-Moore told WREG News Channel 3. “We don’t want it to be focused on race, but it’s important, because every child doesn’t have the same opportunity right now.”
This isn’t the first time that Moore has made headlines for his academic excellence. In 2016, he earned a perfect of 36 on the ACT during his sophomore year. This summer, he plans on helping other students with their college entrance exams by hosting a ACT/SAT workshop.
“So it’s really important that people who have been given opportunities give back and give others the opportunities they were also granted,” Moore explained.
Moore’s top three college acceptances were Yale University, Stanford University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His other colleges acceptances included Brown, Harvard, Duke and Vanderbilt University. Moore chose to attend Stanford University, where he plans to study computer science and economics.
Remember the name. Dwight Moore, Jr. has a bright future ahead.