When Collins initially made the decision to send her son to what is known as one of Chicago’s most prominent high schools, she said that she really had no other option. The public school in East Garfield Park, where they resided, shut down when Hoover was in the third grade.

“I’m from this neighborhood, so I know what’s going on,” said Collins, who didn’t want her son to fall victim to the gangs and violence plaguing the area.

Now she says the high schooler has his teachers to thank for pushing him to work hard to achieve the perfect score.

Hoover is quite the scholar, maintaining a 3.9 GPA while balancing advanced classes and being an all-state musician and member of the track team. In his free time, he even volunteers at the local Boys and Girls Club and a nearby hospital, which fuels his dreams of becoming a neurosurgeon.

“[I’m] Doing the best that I can to boost my academic career and professional career to inspire others to do the same,” Hoover said, according to ABC7 Chicago. “Because once you have that platform, you can inspire people to change the world and you can also change the world.”

While Columbia University is a top prospect for the teen, this summer he will attend a two-week program for high school students in England at Oxford University.

Perfect Score

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