Wichita teen gets into Princeton, then Yale, then a national magazine takes notice

A clip of Wichita Northwest High School senior Hailey Colborn discovering she was accepted into Yale as well as Princeton was included in a video put together by Money Magazine. Courtesy

BY DENISE NEIL   April 16, 2018 07:07 AM

Then the video of a near-hyperventilating Hailey Colborn, a Wichita senior headed for the Ivy League one way or another, hit the internet, part of a compilation of squeal-heavy "acceptance letter" videos collected from across the country and compiled by Money magazine.

The title: "These college acceptances will make your day."

Colborn, a Wichita Northwest High School senior, said the video going national is just the latest crazy moment in an insanely crazy year.

In November, Colborn was named Miss Kansas Teen USA, meaning that her schedule was suddenly full with appearances and preparing for the national Miss Teen USA Pageant, which happens next month in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Then, in December, a letter arrived confirming a longtime hope: She'd been admitted into Princeton University, the Ivy League school that she'd always dreamed of attending.

She'd applied to Yale, too, and last month, that school posted the names of the students it had admitted for fall 2018. Colborn said she was home alone, and since she hadn't filmed the moment she found out about Princeton, she decided to capture video of her Yale moment — hoping it would be something she wanted to show.

In the video, Colbon is in her kitchen, the camera focused on her face. She mutters, "please, please, please" as she clicks on the website that will reveal her Yale fate.

The next thing the viewer sees is Colborn scream, nearly falling backward on the floor.

Shortly after she posted the video on Facebook, Colborn was contacted by an editor for Money magazine asking for permission to use it.

In the Money video, the clip of Colborn is spliced in with footage of other high school students from around the country screaming, crying and jumping around as they're accepted into Harvard, Penn and other prestigious schools.

Colborn will graduate from Northwest in May — though she'll miss her graduation to compete in the Miss Teen USA pageant.

She plans to attend either Princeton or Yale. She's just waiting to find out which makes the better financial offer.

"I never expected it," she said. "I'm incredibly honored. I still can't believe it."

Wichita Northwest High senior Hailey Colborn, who was accepted into both Princeton and Yale, caught the moment she received one of her acceptance letters on video, and it was shared on a national magazine's website. Courtesy photo

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