DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — An Atlanta teenager is making national headlines for her successful college search and acceptance track record.

Daya Brown has won over $1.3 million in scholarships and has gotten accepted into more than 50 schools.

The high school senior is making Duke University her home in the fall. 

“You’re not just competing with a small group of people. You’re competing with literally every teenager in the country,” she told CBS 17.

Yet, she’s a standout. Brown is not only her high school’s class president, but she also started her own production company, a podcast and is a Gates Millenium Scholarship finalist.

The scholarship is through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and is awarded to outstanding minority students with a high financial aid need.

“I think it’s so important because as a minority in America, you believe that you do not have access. This is me showing people that you do have access,” Brown said. 

She applied to more than 70 schools and got into most of them.

“Spelman, UGA, Hampton, Clemson, Auburn, LSU, Maryland,” listed Brown.

She couldn’t keep track of the others. So far, Brown has racked up millions of dollars in scholarships.

“The main goal was to go to school for free,” she said simply.

Brown’s second goal was to find a school that would enable her to turn her passion into a career.

“I really love telling stories is something that I built my career on, it’s something I build everything on because that’s just who I am. I love impacting people with creative words and creative visual,” she said.

She now plans to study Journalism and Film Production at Duke University.

“The moment I stepped on the campus, I automatically fell in love,” Brown said.

She credits her success with planning ahead: spending hours each day finding internships, networking and doing her research.

“I think I would be considered a role model because I had to take moments to learn,” Brown added.

Her new goal is to inspire others to also make their dreams a reality.

“I think that I just really want it to be a reminder to little black girls and minority girls who look just like me, that they can do whatever they put their mind to,” said Brown. “Because if I can do it, you can do it, too, no matter what it is, no matter what the topic is. Because I know for me, when I was a young child, I had amazing people to look up to.”

Brown received a full ride to Duke University for her first year. She’ll have to re-apply for financial aid each year she attends.

Brown should hear if she was selected for the Gates scholarship in the next month.