INDIANAPOLIS — It is an exciting time for Xavier Ntamere.
The Shortridge High School graduate is heading to Howard University in Washington, D.C to study civil engineering.
"Bed sheets here," Ntamere pointed. "Howard colors and everything."
It took Ntamere a lot of work to get here, from graduating magna cum laude to excelling at extra-curriculars.
"Boy Scouts, The Mayor's Inclusion Council, swim, Beautillion," Ntamere said.
And the list of his extra curriculars goes on. Still, his work wasn't done.
Xavier and his mom, Ebony Barney, learned the $55,000-per-year school would award him $11,000.
"I had the $44,000 left to cover," Ntamere said.
And taking out loans was not something his mom wanted him to do. A social worker with student loans herself, Barney said the burden of borrowing needed to be clear.
"It was just very important to me that he didn't have to end up in the same spot," Barney said.
For months, Ntamere filled out scholarship after scholarship — hitting nearly 100 applications.
Including the money from Howard University, he earned more than $57,000 — or about a quarter of the scholarships he applied to — at the time of his interview with 13News.
"It's really kind of beautiful," Barney said, "to think about all of the folks that we're connected to in our community, being willing to invest in and back his dreams."
She said the reality is that there were a number of schools he could have gone to for free.
"But he was clear about what school he wanted to go to and experience he wanted to have," Barney said.
That experience meant attending an HBCU. Ntamere said he used to live in Chicago, where he was in a lot of gifted classes.
"In those gifted classes, I was one of very few Black kids," Ntamere said. "Going to Howard, I feel like I'll be able to fit in more."
After his interview with 13News, Ntamere learned he received another $20,000, bringing his total to more than $75,000.