Meet Autum Ashante. This 13 year-old poet and high school senior was accepted into the University of Connecticut mid-June of this year. She speaks three languages (Arabic, Swahili, and Spanish), is a UN Youth Ambassador, who performs spoken-word and considers herself as an activist. Unfortunately with her IQ standing at 149, it wasn’t enough for the University of Connecticut to allow her to attend the academic institution:
In a bizarre development, the father of a 13-year-old Bronx prodigy says his daughter will not be attending the University of Connecticut this fall, after the school rescinded their acceptance.
Batin Ashante said his daughter, Autum, is “devastated” after university officials called him yesterday to “rescind” their offer of acceptance. “They said they now feel she’s not academically ready,” he said. “That’s B.S.!”
Autum’s story exploded on the blogosphere and several news agencies reported on the young phenom from the Pelham Parkway section of the Bronx.
“I’ve got nothing but positive feedback,” Ashante said. “I’m her dad and it just bothers me to see her go through this.” [Source]
It’s alright Autum. The next university that accepts you will be even better than the University of Connecticut. We are all proud of you, young lady! Props to you!
Check out Autum Ashante’s video EPK below, where she introduces herself to world last year. She shares her aspirations of one day publishing her own book and giving back to the community.
This makes me SO proud! Keep up all the good work, baby girl. You are going to go SO far. Can’t wait to see the GOOD headlines about this young lady’s work in the near future!
this sounds like some bullshit…
Smart young girl. Concreteloop does an excellent job at uplifting our people. Angel y’all do an excellent job of speaking of past heroes and celebs for a cause. These youth also need to know that there are other young people out here with aspirations far greater than sports or rap. |Like|
She should sue the school, make them pay her for the year while she does something incredible, and then go to a much better school. Uptown kids do well at Yale.
UConn ought to be ashamed of themselves. For real. But she’ll get something so much better and UConn will get so much negative publicity surrounding this. She’ll overcome this. She ain’t got no other choice but to overcome it.
I’m impressed.
girl don’t even trip on UConn…watch you get accepted into Harvard or Yale or some place like that and they are going to be kicking themselves like the dummies they are…Continue to excel!!!
Amen! When one door closes, it’s usually because God has something even greater in store for us!
How did she accelerate a 13 year old high school senior? Was she home-schooled?
How did she accelerate to be a 13 year old high school senior? Was she home-schooled?
Yes; she was home-schooled by her father. Her home-schooling is probably why UConn says ‘ “they now feel she’s not academically ready” ‘, which I agree with Autumn’s father is complete B.S. of an explanation for their rescind-ance.
Judah, I thought you were all knowing…ummm I guess not…
@LEESHALU
Thank you. I figured as much due to the fact that the previous black child prodigies that I’ve witnessed were home tutored by their FATHERS. This is why it is integral that black FATHERS educate their children. As I’ve stated on this website before, there is little that the woman can teach the child beyond the age of 4 years old in regards to real knowledge and wisdom. It is not an insult, it is the truth. The man was set up by the most high to have three dimensional understanding and to impart that to his children. The woman’s thoughts are based in emotion and she will go along with whoever or whatever is in power, which is why in a satanic society, she is put in control of the family unit.
@LOVE JAH
What do the issues that you have with me have to do with the question that I had lol? Now if you really loved “Jah”, your dumb a$$ would know that the letter “J” was invented in the 1700′s to throw off the pronunciation of the Lord’s name. There is no such name for the Lord as “Jah” or his son as “Jesus”. So when you call them by those names, they do not hear your prayer. If you “loved Jah”, you would know that…..ummm guess not lol. Therefore you (like most sanctimonious black women) don’t know which god you love or you pray to lol.
She was homeschooled by her father and obviously not prepared to attend college or otherwise, UConn feels she is too young perhaps or that somewhere in her application they overlooked how unprepared she may be socially, mentally, and academically. There are liabilities as well. They were probably so impressed with her, that these oversights were not attended to immediately. Folks really need to measure things logically sometimes without jumping the gun. Not you Judah, just saying. Some students who have been educated whether at home or in mediocre public schools and appear to have excelled on the highest levels. However, they have not excelled on the highest levels to meet college standards like more accredited high schools–they often cannot compete with students on these levels. I’ve seen those bright, but unprepared youth crash and burn all too often. This could be a factor.
If God’s name isn’t Jah, what is it then?
Judah is onto something. Say what you want, but I have hardly seen a single black father do a piss poor job with his kids.
One door closed another will open
Trust me, She will over come this, baby girl is going to go far in life.
I would not be surprised to find out that it is more related to her past poetry and the views of her father than her IQ. The child is brilliant! Even at age 7 her poems were making people uncomfortable. Research her online.
That could be true. It could also be the reason why many people have not heard of her.
I’m so proud of her acheivements,however, I think she’s too young for the outta state 4-year University experience. She’s barely a teenager. You can have all the book smarts in the world, but is she really ready to live the college lifestyle on her own? To those of you who left home and went to large 4 year universities, can you even imagine re-living your college life while being 13-17? The things that happen on colllege campuses are not for 13 year old to witness, I don’t care how much protection she plans to have. A university is full of adults (even tho some still act like kids lol) and I think she’d just be an outcast. What 18 year old you know is gonna wanna hang with a 13 year old on campus? I know I surely wouldn’t have. I didnt mean to rant like this lol but I’m just saying maybe this was a blessing in disguise
I agree with you.
I agree with you. My 16 year old is doing his Jr and Sr year at a collage and I feel like even though he is very smart and talented he still is not mentally ready. So with her being 13 there is a lot she is not going to be prepared for.
College students are very political and so her politics wouldn’t matter to most colleges and universities. Young people are the most political/radical. Intelligent people love to be around intelligent people no matter their age. As for her being around elements in college that she should not see, there are dorms for people just like her and that is where she will most likely end up.
I’m concerned that perhaps they felt she is not academically prepared to do the work. Information is great to have. I know kids with tons of it, greater than 149, and not prepared to go to college. She may lack structure and they saw through that. Who knows, but to switch the situation to a negative stance is irrational.
1st of all, UConn is like 45 minutes away from the Bronx, and there are accommodations for “minors,” or she wouldn’t be accepted in the first place. Secondly highly talented people tend to lead lonely lives, and this hardly changes through life, regardless of age. This is why I actually think it would bode her well to attend a much better school. Finally, I suspect the ONLY reason the offer was rescinded was because she went viral and the University decided to hedge themselves against any backlash hatched around her views.
Hopefully Fordham accepts her so she can live at home and not too far from her truth…
Don’t even worry about UCONN Autum, your good!
YES! You’re going to do amazing things. Allow this situation to be a testimony to greater things in your life..
I got a XBOX 360 $30, a Apple Ipad for $120 and my mom got a 55″ HDTV for $110.
She sold for $500. Help your friends http://www.HitPenny.com
Very proud of Autumn and her accomplishments. There are plenty of institutions out there that will take her than little UConn. But I do think that it’s a little too soon for her to take on something like that at an early age. A little child in the midst of adults; how does that sound? If she can do it, more power to her! She inspires me, as I am heading off to college in the coming month.
Baby you have already gon down in Black History, being the young woman that you are keep your head up this you will overcome.
I’m so proud of her my admiration for her is beyond words. The next offer she will receive will be better. http://t.co/24WrewC
she’s not ready mentally and physically for college life.
Thats what people need to understand first of all, she might be mentally but the adults there arent ready for such a brilliant 13 years old girl, this is what I fear the most and I can understand if she wasnt accepted, she might be intelligent or mature enough but college might be tough especially with the attendees. Im proud of her, she is brilliant, we so need more people like her.
Whilst this happens to a lot of students (not LOTS but a lot more than is probably highlighted) I still think it’s a bit of a shame. I think on this point, I prefer the UK system where, once a university gives the individual an offer, they are legally binded and unable to retract the offer. Saying this, she is 13 years old after all and even though she is, quite clearly, incredibly talented, at least she now has time to prosper and grow more and to enjoy being a teenager, as opposed to being thrown right into the adult world at such a young age. I’m sure she would be able to cope with it but I also think she’d grow up not having had a childhood. Also, she seems to have been homeschooled (correct me if I’m wrong) and this may have hindered her in gaining a place. It’s a bit silly that they gave her an offer in the first place, and whilst I think the admissions teams at universities must be competent enough to carry out the procedure, they shouldn’t have given her an offer in the first place if they were going to retract it later on. I hope something better comes along for her, but in my opinion it’s a good thing, and should be seen positively, that she didn’t gain a place – there might be something good out there for her in the future!
They should have rescinded In this instance the power of the media was in her favor….Im truly impressed and am motivated by her story….
She didn’t need to be tainted by older students anyway.