‘From Social to Success’ Teen Who Went Viral In Morehouse Acceptance Video Receives Full-Ride Scholarship

When Amir Staten received his acceptance letter from Morehouse College, his mother captured his pure excitement over having reached his ultimate goal. Now Staten has another reason to celebrate: He’s secured a four-year full-ride scholarship to the storied HBCU.

Earlier this summer, Staten learned he would be one of 15 Bonner Scholars, a community service-focused scholarship program that will help him and his mother absorb Morehouse’s $51,000 yearly tuition. Staten was a stellar student during his high school years, remaining on the honor roll throughout his matriculation while also being the captain of the basketball team and completing over 120 hours of community service.

“He has gone above and beyond of what is expected of him,” his mother, Karlynne Staten, said. “Now he can kind of breathe easy.”

According to Good Morning America, Staten will have to maintain a 2.5 grade point average and complete approximately 10 hours of community service per week to maintain his place as a Bonner Scholar. As an added bonus, he and the other scholarship recipients will travel to the Dominican Republic during their senior year to work in an orphanage.

Kevin Booker, vice president for student services and dean of Morehouse College, said selecting Staten was an honor for him and other faculty members. “We develop student leaders and we start immediately. It doesn’t happen after they graduate,” Booker said.

“And some of those student leaders selected Amir because they see in him what’s needed to be a man of Morehouse, and eventually a Morehouse man.”

Staten did not use his viral video to elicit votes, but Booker saw the joy the graduating senior had around becoming a part of the legacy of the institution and was moved by his enthusiasm, according to Good Morning America.

“As a Morehouse College alum, as a Morehouse College dad—my son just graduated—and an administrator, there is no better feeling for me than seeing a young man like Amir, who hasn’t even walked these grounds [as a student] yet but feels what this college can do for him,” Booker said.

“He realizes that and wants to be a part of that history, and the history is long. We want Amir to be amongst the ranks of the great men who have come before him.”