Born and raised in Houston, TX, Tatum made history in his district (SpringISD) by becoming his school’s first Black male Valedictorian and continued to advocate on behalf of his peers which got him elected as first Black male Class President in the midst of a global pandemic.
Applying and being accepted to college is among some of the most stressful parts of high school. Da’Vion Tatum, 18, is making it look easy. After being named Westfield High School’s first Black male valedictorian, Tatum is among the 3.43% that gets accepted to Harvard – and he’s going.
Not only was Tatum admitted to Stanford, Princeton, Yale and Columbia, he received nearly $750,000 in scholarship funds, he said in an interview with Houston’s FOX 26 News.
In addition to being a scholar, Tatum is also an author. In 2020, his autobiography, “Thriving in My Own Lane,” was published. Tatum said he began writing the book when the idea came when he was just 13-years-old. As he attended high school, writing the book showed Tatum that the true purpose of it was to inspire others. “My story specifically can help other young Black men to know that just because society may say one thing about you, or there may be a stigma or stereotype that surrounds being a Black man, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re confined to that,” he told FOX 26.
In his graduation speech, Tatum said his class was one that will lay a foundation for those for those coming behind them. “A foundation where the path to our success is one of our own construction. And the utilization of our gifts extends beyond self-gratification and reaches the hearts of those around us,” he also said.
Now, at 18, he’s completed his first few weeks of college classes. Tatum plans on pursuing a joint concentration in biomedical engineering and government, he told FOX 26. His career goal is to, “operate at the intersection of engineering, medicine and law as a way to spearhead advancements in scientific innovation and social justice.”
Out of 99,000+ applicants, he was one of the 150 (less than 1/6th of 1%) to be named a Coca-Cola Scholar! In addition to this, he was one of the 5 chosen out of the 150 to receive the surprise reward from Coca-Cola. He is also a Ron Brown Scholar, an organization dedicated to uplifting Black youth and supporting them on their journey through higher education! He was also admitted to Harvard and all the Ivy Leagues he applied to during the year of their highest applicant pool and lowest acceptance rates. He was also admitted to Stanford, CalTech, UCLA, and UC Berkeley.
