Amado Candelario is an exceptional student at Harvard University.

On September 24th he sent out a tweet highlighting several reasons why he’s the exception, which has since gone viral.

i’m the only kid at Harvard right now, class of 2023, that’s from Chicago and didn’t go to
-a selective enrollment school
-a private school
-a predominately affluent suburban school
i’m the only Chicago neighborhood school kid. it’s sad but I DID THAT and i’m proud of myself!!

— Amado Candelario (@lovedcandle) September 25, 2019

Amado describes himself as a “Mexican student from the Southwest side of Chicago, who’s first generation to an undocumented mother.” He grew up without his father not being present, and his mother and older sister Sammy became the primary caretakers.

“[Sammy] is one of the strongest people I’ve ever met because to this day she’s still working hard. She’s going to college while maintaining a full time job to provide for our family, and still trying to be that role model.”

While at high school he helped create a writing center to mentor other students, and utilized every tool/program to help with his admissions.

Now at Harvard, Amado plans to study Economics and Political Science with the intention of practicing Immigration Law.

You can check out more of Amado’s story here: