Rising college freshman Micheal Brown from Lamar High School in Houston accomplished an amazing feat recently by being accepted to 20 different colleges and receiving full rides to each. News of his acceptances spread when a video of his reaction of being admitted to Stanford began to trend online. Along with Brown’s admission into Stanford, he also got into Yale, Princeton, Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, the University of Texas at Austin, Harvard, and Georgetown all of which are considered extremely competitive schools. While many congratulated Brown on his outstanding achievement, others questioned why he applied to so many schools, arguing that by doing so he took opportunities away from other hard-working students.

Fox News Co-Anchor Holly Morris and contributor Sarah Fraser were among the individuals criticizing Brown’s college acceptances. Fraser claimed that “It’s a little ridiculous that this kid applied to 20 [colleges], taking away a spot and basically waitlisting another kid.”

Morris backed up Fraser by stating “I think it’s a little obnoxious because you can only go to one [college].” These comments made by the FOX employees are ignorant and, frankly, offensive to Brown, who grew up in a lower class area and had to work hard in order to even attend a university. According to an article in The Washington Post, out of the 3,300 students that attend Brown’s high school, more than half are at risk of dropping out. The favors were stacked against Brown, but despite this, he was able to achieve great academic success with a 4.48 GPA, a 1540 SAT score, and a 34 ACT score.

By regarding a student’s success as “obnoxious” and criticizing what should be seen as a remarkable journey the FOX News contributors discourage others from dreaming as big as Brown. In actuality, applying to multiple colleges helps to increase your chances of receiving a scholarship and helps a student find schools that will better accommodate their needs. Adult figures should be encouraging students to look into different schooling options rather than deeming applying to multiple schools excessive.

For many students, Brown’s ability to overcome his struggles to go to college is very inspiring. He has a right to be proud of how far he has come and to believe in his capabilities of achieving his dreams. For many lower-income students, going to a prestigious college can seem unobtainable. Programs such as Breakthrough Houston and Emerge are helpful resources for low income and underrepresented students to use. These programs opened pathways for Brown in that they made success possible when it didn’t seem feasible before. Through Brown’s success he has the power to encourage other students to use these programs and to receive the education they would be able to have before.

“Out of all students to achieve similar feats, I am just very happy and very honored to share by story and inspire other students,” said Brown in an interview with The Washington Post.  Rather than FOX News taking away a young man’s moment of success, they should celebrate his ability to overcome hardship. It’s simple, taking a person down for their moments of accomplishment is petty and immature. As grown women sharing the news, FOX reporters should understand that journalism has the power to promote Brown’s success rather than bringing him down.