ATLANTA — A Fayette County graduating senior is headed to Harvard University next year!
Tito Alofe is a graduate of Starr's Mill High School and the valedictorian for the class of 2023.
Alofe was a member of the school's debate and math teams.
He was also the state winner of Georgia's Student Teacher Achievement Recognition Program. The award celebrates high school seniors with the highest SAT score and who are the top 10 students of their class.
Alofe is the first student from Fayette County to win the award since it was created in 1959.
He also was a finalist for the National Merit Scholarship.
Alofe said doing what he loved helped him achieve his goals.
"Just doing what you enjoy in high school makes it a lot easier to achieve at the highest level. Don't necessarily just do what you think people would like to see you do," he added.
His talents also carried over outside the classroom. He holds his school's record for the high jump, second-highest record for the triple jump and played basketball.
Alofe is also this year's state champion in the high jump and triple jump.
He said doing what he loved was the secret sauce for his success.
Alofe said he only applied to Harvard and Georgia Tech.
"I think throughout high school generally my goal is just to do what I want to do but become better at it every day. That's what my parents taught me to do and it ended up working out," he added.
He's considering a degree in either neuroscience or biomedical engineering.