Donations Pour In for High School Student Stripped Off of Her Valedictorian Status
Destiny Brannon might have lost her valedictorian status after graduating from DeSoto High School, but netizens made sure that she still has a chance to enroll for her first year at the university.
Brannon was stripped off from her valedictory honors after DeSoto High School officials learned that there are errors committed when they calculate the graduating class' final rankings.
While the grave mistake took away her opportunity to study at the University of Texas at Austin without having to pay a single cent for her tuition, a lot of generous people who heard about her story sent donations through a GoFundMe account that was made to "Get Destiny to UT."
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According to reports, more than 300 individuals from different locations managed to raise more than $40,000 in 10 days. It is almost twice the amount of the crowdfunding's $25,000 goal.
Speaking with Dallas Morning News, Brannon said that she did not expect to see an overwhelming support thrown her way.
"I was very surprised and very grateful," the fresh high school graduate stated. "I never expected it to get like that," she added.
The unexpected turn of events in Brannon's life happened in mid-June after the school administrators in her high school claimed that they mistakenly based the rankings on the students' grades from the fall semester without getting the average from the spring grading period.
After recalculating the grades, her rank dropped to No. 3 while the former No. 4 student Brian Uzuegbunam turned out to rightful valedictorian.
However, Brannon and her mother Samantha Johnson-Brannon believed that the change in her ranking was the school administration's way of punishing her because of her graduation speech, in which she slammed the DeSoto Independent School District for prioritizing the athletics programs while neglecting its academics. However, the district spokesperson already denied the allegations.
Despite the major glitch, the upcoming college freshman said that she was overwhelmed with the support that she received from a lot of people. "It made me happy — and very appreciative," she stated. "And it made me realize that even though there's bad, there's way more good people out there, supporting me throughout this," Brannon added.
