Meet the Newport News senior who was accepted into 89 colleges

Abdalla Elrahhal never set out to get into 89 colleges.

But as the pandemic began, the Denbigh High School then-sophomore found himself stuck in a routine. Wake up, walk a couple feet to his desk, attend online school, watch movies online or talk to his family, go back to bed. Rinse, repeat.

Other kids may have filled their hours with Tiktok or Twitter, but Abdalla didn’t have a phone, so he found entertainment in an unlikely source: college application essays.

“I just continued and the number increased and increased, and so I was like ‘Hey, it’s my senior year and I already got 30 done, let me continue writing,’ and then it turned into 89,” Abdalla said. “Especially at the end, I stayed up until 3 a.m. sometimes just writing essays. Lots of coffee.”

Now, 89, acceptances later, he has decided to accept an appointment to the Air Force Academy.

Only one high school senior in each congressperson’s district is nominated to each military academy each year — Abdalla was nominated by Rep. Bobby Scott’s office for two.

Long before he was applying to all those schools — before he stopped drinking root beer, back when he was taking AP Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Science simultaneously to qualify for admission to the New Horizons Governor’s School for Science and Technology — the skies were Abdalla’s refuge. There, he could glide above the deadlines and distractions of teenage life.

“When you get released in a glider, it’s basically like you’re flying a paper airplane inside the air,” Abdalla said. “Every single time you make a movement or a small gesture, you hear the wind brushing off the pane, and when you have the cockpit window open you can feel the wind rushing against your face. Whenever you make a decision your heart is just pounding. It’s an amazing experience.”

By the time he was 14, Abdalla had piloted a plane, using the first of five scholarships targeting low-income teenagers.

Abdalla’s mother Cheri Elrahhal, a substitute teacher, made it her mission to find free activities and opportunities for Abdalla and his 11-year-old sister. From the get-go, she said, she and Abdalla’s father had made it clear that he would need scholarships to pay for college, and he would have to earn them.

“If you need merit money, if you need scholarships, you have to get involved,” she said. “There’s always someone out there who is doing more. Don’t be fake, don’t just do something just to do it. You have to do leadership, have to do the projects, nothing is optional. You have to be invested in whatever you decide to do.”

To the people who knew him best, it was no surprise when Abdalla turned down the other schools and scholarships to attend the Air Force Academy.

At Denbigh High School’s Aviation Academy, he discovered how to combine his passion for computer science with his passion for aviation.

Given the uncertain future the Academy faced two years ago as it vacated its old space in the Newport News-Williamsburg Airport, academy director Aaron Smith said Abdalla’s success is a beacon of hope. His success is living proof that financial barriers to opportunity can be overcome, he said.

“There truly is no excuse now,” Smith said. “It’s just tapping into those relationships even deeper, to figure out how we get the best out of every kid. It’s not a challenge, it’s an opportunity.”

At the Aviation Academy, Abdalla could explore his passion for aerodynamic engineering while learning more about being a pilot. He had access to unique resources, like donated planes to tinker on, a room of 3D printers to design wings and a wind tunnel to test them in.

In the mornings, he would live out his Star Wars dreams in the virtual reality simulations. In the afternoon, at New Horizon, he would code on computer science projects.

“You want to toot the horn and brag about your kids, but he’s very humble,” Cheri said. “He won’t say what he does, and I admire him for that, but I’ll make up for it. I’m proud of my kids.”

As the acceptance letters and scholarship notifications poured in, Cheri even began compiling a binder, just to keep things organized. The post office worker who delivered the thick scholarship envelopes even became involved.

“When her alma mater showed up, she told me, ‘That’s my Alma Mater!” Cheri said.

“He’s going to be a rock star,” Smith said. “He’s probably going to be President. I’m serious, I could very easily see that.”