Boola Boola!
The words are from one of Yale’s most famous fight songs. And they seem appropriate now that local phenom Kwasi Enin has decided on the New Haven Ivy for his college education.
In the original version of “The Decision,” basketball star LeBron James held a televised press conference to announce he had decided to sign with the Miami Heat after playing seven seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In Enin’s version, the 17-year-old son of two immigrants from Ghana was accepted to all eight Ivy League colleges. Though it didn’t generate the coverage ESPN gave LeBron, the news conference Enin held in the gym of his Long Island high school did get international attention. He says he picked Yale for its strong programs in both music and medicine — and he thanked his teachers for helping to get him where he is.
In other countries — particularly in Asia — academic achievement is celebrated, and good teachers and tutors can be treated like rock stars. For example, The Wall Street Journal has reported that superstar tutor Kim Ki-Hoon earns an NBA-like $4 million a year teaching South Korean kids after school. If his students weren’t performing, he wouldn’t be paid.
Our culture is different. For example, when a young man Enin’s age becomes the toast of his hometown, it’s often after accepting a basketball or football scholarship to some big school.
Nothing against sports, but it’s sure nice to see a hardworking young man make headlines for his achievements in the classroom.