TYLER, Texas — Ja'Nayan Manning is a prodigy in the making. He's a Tyler Legacy High School senior who was recently named the District's Secondary Student of the Month.
Currently, Manning has been accepted into a 14 colleges and universities, and has earned a whopping $380,000 in scholarship money. He's still laying out his options with a big decision to make when he graduates in May.
"I haven't decided yet," Manning said. "I have somewhat of a top five. I'm generally just trying to get the most scholarship money, so wherever I get that is where I'm deciding to go."
Manning is hoping to major in business administration or marketing -- big goals that started at Jack Elementary School.
"They've always told me he's smart, he's going to do great things," said Manning's mother, Jessica Johnson. "I mean he's a hard worker and I'm just blessed."
Johnson said her son reminds her of several family members like her grandfather and mother.
"Being a hard worker he reminds me a lot of my mom," Johnson said. "She’s my right hand, she reminds me a lot of Ja’Nayan. She’s taught me to go for whatever you want."
Manning has been involved with many school organizations like student council, AVID, and he even started an organization that helps fellow Red Raiders with college applications.
"When school came around I was pretty much already done," Manning said. "So we just wanted to help everybody else and some of my peers were like the same. We just wanted to help people since we weren't actually helping ourselves that much."
With all these accomplishments Manning has a shining spotlight on him. Especially being a senior in high school. To anyone who looks up to him he wants to tell them that it's not always easy, but as long as you put the work in, it won't be that hard.
"I'm not the smartest," Manning said. "I'm in the top 20, I'm a little ways from top 10, and even (valedictorian), but even with that though I've accomplished a lot in the last classes and last semesters. So it's possible as long as you put the work in you can do it."