The Quads and Yale

This brilliant set of African-American quads from Danbury, CT have made history by being the first set of quadruplets to be admitted to Yale. The siblings (Martina, Ray, Carol, and Kenny Crouch) had their pick of Ivy League and top tier schools including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Tufts, Wesleyan, and NYU, but ultimately settled on Yale because of its "down to earth" atmosphere and a generous financial aid packet.

These kids should be celebrated for their hard work and the example they'll be setting for thousands of other minority students. Instead of desiring to be rappers, video vixens, or pro atheletes, these four have set their sights higher.

With the cost of tuition steadily rising, they weren't dismayed and neither did they tell themselves to dream smaller. In general, there is nothing wrong with applying to local state schools or going to a community college. However, too many of our Ivy League ready students do so because they become overwhelmed by the prospects of the college application process and the exhorbant costs.

We have a responsiblity as parents, aunts, uncles, mentors, friends, and even neighbors to help out those coming after us. And if that includes helping them navigate the college admissions process so they can soar among the elite minds of this nation, then so be it!!!

A friend of mine, The Chi-Town Stepper, has come up with ways to teach kids to "dream out loud, often, and together". I'd also add to dream BIG, WAY BIG!!!! Let's make the Crouch story the rule and not the exception!!!

Read more about them at The New York Times.