Brooklyn Excellence: H.S. Graduate Who Used Earnings To Help Single Mother Receives Scholarship To Harvard
Ethan Ambrose with little sister and graduating classmates. | Photo via NY1

There’s something extra special about a Brooklyn scholar.

There has been an extensive list of exceptional high school graduates who are preparing to step into the next level of their lives. One of those outstanding students is Brooklynite Ethan Ambrose, who recently celebrated his graduation from Medgar Evers College Prep School. Ambrose aspires to change the world by creating attainable medical care for everyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status. The young man has been recognized for his smarts as well as his selfless character over the past 4 years.

According to NY1, while working towards his diploma, Ethan kept a tutoring job which allowed him to help his single pursue her own dreams and raise his two-year-old sister. Whether it was buying groceries, contributing to household expenses, changing diapers, or babysitting, Ambrose was there to take on the task.

How was someone his age able to balance school, work, and mature house duties? Although caring for his baby sister required a lot of time and interfered with his schooling hours, his teachers were very flexible and worked with him.

“I was really upset at the time…I was saying, ‘I had a bright future and now, you know, it’s going to become way more difficult,’ “But as I started going on and as things started to settle in, I realized that it was much easier than I thought,” Ambrose told NY1.




Michael Wiltshire, principal of Medgar Evers College Prep mentioned, “This is a very disciplined, committed, and focused individual. Ethan is a mentor other kids will continue to be.”

Through it all, Ethan Ambrose graduated second in his class, and one of 85 teens nationally to be awarded with a Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship to Harvard University. While he strives for the next four years to make a difference in our world, his ultimate goal is to become a pediatric neurosurgeon. He expressed, “I just want it to be so that the richest person on the planet and the poorest person on the planet have the same sort of access to healthcare.”

Congrats Ethan and thanks for adding to the excellence of Brooklyn!