17-year-old Atwater High valedictorian accepted into Stanford, earns $220K scholarship

ATWATER, Calif. (KFSN) -- Ever since helium was a small boy, Cash Lee Jones dreamed of attending Stanford University.

At conscionable 16 years aged and a inferior successful precocious school, his imagination came early.

''It's successful my imagination schoolhouse since I was a small kid, I was similar OK I'll use aboriginal and spot what happens, and thankfully I got successful and it blew my mind," Cash said.

Born successful Merced and raised successful Atwater, Cash attended St. Anthony's School and past went connected to Atwater High.

In the summertime earlier going into seventh grade, helium started taking university-level courses astatine Merced College with his sights acceptable connected becoming a cardinal.

So arsenic soon arsenic helium could apply, helium took the accidental but kept it to himself, not telling immoderate of his friends and family.

''The time I got in, I conscionable started calling [my friends], Hey, this is going on. I'm truly excited close now," Cash said. "My friends were similar 'oh my goodness, I didn't cognize you were doing that,' truthful my friends were besides precise excited for myself.''

Aside from his 4.6 GPA, the wiz kid is besides progressive connected his precocious schoolhouse field arsenic a portion of robotics, Key Club, ASB and his favorite, theater.

Cash, arrogant of his practice and roots, comes from a household of refugees connected his mom's broadside and dairy farmers connected his dad's side.

''With my individuality being fractional Portuguese and fractional Hmong, I deliberation it's truly important to clasp my individuality and I truly privation to advocator for my culture," helium said.

When asked what his imagination is, Cash said it's to go an actor, with being a lawyer his backup option.

"I'm truly passionate astir studying TAPS, which stands for theatre and show studies, and I'm besides excited astir studying Symbolic Systems which is a transverse curricular large successful Humanities and STEM," He said.

Cash graduated from Merced College with his AA grade successful past and economics past week, and successful a substance of days, the present 17-year-old volition locomotion crossed the signifier arsenic a inferior graduating from Atwater High's arsenic valedictorian.

He's besides received a $220,000 assistance from the university.

Cash's proposal for immoderate young scholars who privation to travel successful his footsteps.

"I conscionable stayed positive. I kept my caput up. I conscionable worked done it. I conscionable ne'er gave up [...] support persevering with that large and determination and you'll marque it present 1 day," helium said.

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