Maynard Jackson senior and Harvard debater gets into Ivy League

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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