Oakland teen, with a 4.3 GPA, gets accepted to all 31 colleges he applied to

OAKLAND, Calif. - An Oakland high school senior, with an impressive 4.3 grade point average, was accepted to all 31 colleges to which he applied. And last week, after weighing his options, which included top-ranking, world-renowned universities, he announced his college choice. 

Dominic Antoine Jr., who recently turned 18, attends Fremont High School in East Oakland. Many know him by his nickname "Pooda." 

What we know:

On May 1, referred to as "National College Decision Day," Antoine announced his plans to attend Louisiana State University. 

"I applied for biology with pre-med track," the teen shared with KTVU. 

He said the decision was a very difficult one, with every school he applied to responding with a yes. 

"No rejections!" Antoine shared emphatically. 

Other schools on the final list 

Schools on Antoine's short list included the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley, both consistently holding top national rankings, often exchanging the #1 and #2 spots for the best public universities in the country.  

As part of the application process, he used the Common Black College Application to apply to dozens of Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Among the other schools on his final list were: Howard University in Washington, D.C., Tennessee State University, and Morgan State University in Maryland. 

Top-tier private research school, Syracuse University in New York, was also heavily considered. 

Why LSU?

In the end, he said, "I knew where my heart was and I trusted my gut." 

The teen shared that he felt attending LSU would help him realize his dream of becoming a doctor.

In a previous interview with KTVU, Antoine had said that Louisiana State was the first college he'd heard back from and that, along with a spot, the school had offered him a top-tier, merit-based scholarship package. 

He also acknowledged his college decision would be based on academics. While he had received interest from a couple of schools that had reached out to him about the possibility of playing basketball for them, the teen said that he would be making academics his main priority.  

Creative video announcement

On Instagram on Friday, Antoine posted an artistic video of himself as he made his college choice announcement.

"Next stop: Louisiana State University 💜💛chasing my path toward orthopedic surgery🩺," he wrote in the caption.

In the video, he creatively acted out the journey he's set to embark on. 

But first, he illustrated his relationship with the sport he loves. He's seen working hard on an outdoor basketball court, fluidly moving the ball and making bucket after bucket. 

Once his workout ends, he walks off the court, dropping his ball and letting it roll away. 

He then goes over to the trunk of his car, where he pulls out a white medical coat, puts it on and places a stethoscope around his neck. He gets behind the wheel, and inside the car, the vehicle is adorned with various pennants with university logos. 

The video ends with him driving away, with an LSU Tigers pennant hanging out of the trunk of his car.  

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The backstory:

KTVU first shared about Antoine back in February, after the varsity basketball player was voted first team all-league.

It was around that time he also went viral when he was highlighted in a social media post stemming from his attendance at the Black College Expo at the Oakland Convention Center.

In the post by educator and best-selling children's book author Claudia Walker, two bystanders got wind of what a standout student Antoine was and shared their excitement. 

"4.3 student athlete, varsity basketball. They don’t yell it out enough!" one man shouted out with pride for the Oakland student, whom he had just met.

Antoine said when the two strangers got wind of his GPA, they wanted to share this fact with others around them. 

"So then he's like, 'No, no, we gotta take this to everybody! Everybody’s gotta see this. You doing your thing, bro.' And I'm just sitting here smiling, and he just started yelling it. And it was just such a special moment for me," the teen recounted, saying while it was a fun experience, he felt a little awkward getting all that attention.

Student-athlete

Beyond his academic achievements, Antoine has also made an impression on the basketball court, both for his athletic abilities and his qualities as a strong leader.

"There was something about him," Coach Derek Smith shared with KTVU back in February, noting it was apparent the first time he saw the kid play in a tournament as a middle schooler. 

Smith said he recruited the teen to join his Amateur Athletic Union traveling basketball team, The Right Way Academy. For the past four years, he's been able to play a role in Antoine's life as not only a coach but a mentor.

"I wouldn't trade him for nothing in the world. I wish I had 12 of him," the coach said. "This kid is phenomenal. I'm telling you, he's on a whole other level."

‘Caring leader’ 

Those leadership skills have been demonstrated at his high school, where Fremont's principal called Antoine "a caring leader who advocates for all students."

Principal Nidya Baez said the young man takes extra care in helping those who learn differently. "He fights for inclusion of students with disabilities in activities and goes out of his way to make them feel welcomed," Baez shared with KTVU.

Antoine said he takes being a role model and mentor very seriously. He has served his school community as a peer tutor and said he especially enjoys helping students with math. 

He’s also stepped up to assist classmates with their own college applications. 

Dig deeper:

His higher than 4.0 GPA was achieved through doing well in Advanced Placement courses, including in biology, English literature, and U.S. History. During high school, Antoine also dually enrolled in college-level courses. 

The student-athlete explained that he loves the sciences, like physiology and biology, and a driving force for wanting to become an orthopedic surgeon is that he’s greatly benefited from this field of medicine.

In addition to basketball, he’s also been on football and track teams, and he’s plenty familiar with sports injuries.

"A lot of back and forward to orthopedics, getting MRIs, getting x-rays, getting checkups," he shared. 

When a doctor provides answers and treatment solutions for an injury, he said, "I feel so relieved after being helped." 

Journey thus far and looking ahead

That's a gift he wants to pay forward and give to others. 

The second of six children, the Oakland native said he's full of gratitude for the support and love from his family.

The LSU-bound student knows all of his hard work has paid off as he looks ahead with the same focused attitude and approach that have gotten him thus far.

"Stepping into a new chapter with purpose, discipline, and vision. From where I started to where I’m headed—nothing was given, everything earned," the teen shared. "This is bigger than me… it’s about impact, legacy, and opening doors that weren’t always open. Grateful for the journey, locked in for what’s next." 

All along the way, Antoine has used his journey to try and inspire others. 

In March, as he weighed his options for the next years of his academic life, he sent out an uplifting and encouraging message on social media about going after your dreams.

"I just want to express that hard work, discipline, sacrifice, dedication, and utmost focus can bring you every step closer to the goals you aspire to have," the young man said. "My achievements are just a representation of what a kid from Oakland can do, when proper commitment is applied… I promise everyone that reads this, ‘YOU CAN DO IT TOO.’"

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