When a group of African-American Atlanta high schoolers won a debate tournament at Harvard University last summer, their victory inspired many and made news around the nation.

Now, one of the students has learned he’s heading back to the Ivy League school -- this time as a Harvard freshman.

Maynard Jackson High School senior Osazi Al Khaliq was accepted last week into Harvard under the university’s early-acceptance process, according to Atlanta Public Schools.

Harvard accepted 935 students early to its Class of 2023, according to a tweet from the university.

Al Khaliq posted messages of thanks on social media including and said "I've waited my whole life for this moment!"

The district reported that he is the first member of the  Harvard Debate Council Diversity Project to apply to Harvard.

Roughly 400 students competed in the Harvard tournament over the summer. The success of the Atlanta team led to mentions in publications such as the Huffington Post, The Root and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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Wade Roberts (center), a Decatur parent with children in three of the city schools, addresses concerns  with the possibility of a K-2 school closing. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC)

Credit: Daniel Varnado/For the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

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