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Los Angeles | Breaking News
Taiwanese Single Mother’s Son Earns Multiple Ivy League Admissions and
$380,000 in Scholarships
Reported by Wang Ruoran / Rowland Heights — April 30, 2026, 8:30 PM ET
Rowland High School senior Lance Wu and his mother, Yolanda Huang, sat nervously in front of a computer as they opened an email. Moments later, the tiger mascot of Princeton University appeared on the screen, prompting the mother and son to burst into cheers. Wu was admitted to Princeton with a full scholarship package totaling approximately $380,000. This was not the first Ivy League acceptance he had received.
For Huang, a single mother with only a high school education, her son’s admission marked an emotional milestone after 18 years of raising him on her own.
Lance Wu Admitted to Three Ivy League Schools and All UC Campuses Accepted to Multiple Top Universities
Lance Wu was also admitted to Cornell University and Brown University. Other acceptances included Duke University and every University of California campus he applied to, including University of California, Los Angeles and University of California, Berkeley.
In an interview, Wu said he did not have a college essay consultant and completed all of his applications on his own. “I simply wrote about my experiences and waited to see the results,” he said. Throughout high school, Wu excelled both academically and in extracurricular activities. He served as president of several school and community clubs, including the California Scholarship Federation. He also volunteered with the nonprofit Heart of Hope, where he later became fundraising director.
At a friend’s recommendation, Wu joined Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and competed at both state and national levels. He was also a four-year member of the Rowland High School basketball team and participated in an international entrepreneurship program in Singapore.
Wu said he pursued these activities out of genuine interest rather than for college admissions, so he never felt overwhelmed or pressured. Academically, he graduated near the top of his class with a 4.533 GPA.
At Princeton University, Wu plans to explore studies related to business and environmental sustainability. He said he once dreamed of becoming a marine biologist in elementary school, but later realized the field offered limited financial opportunities. Since he was also interested in business, he decided to combine the two interests “to contribute to a better society.”
Mother Never Pressured Son Academically, Says Auto Repair Would Have Been Fine Too
Despite her son’s acceptance to multiple elite universities, Yolanda Huang said she still feels somewhat overwhelmed. “God really played a joke on me,” she said. Reflecting on the contrast between her expectations and reality, she added, “It all feels so unreal — I still can’t quite believe it.”
Lance Wu said he rarely discussed school activities or grades with his mother. According to him, she never pressured him academically or forced him into extra tutoring programs. “Her main concern was just making sure I was fed,” he joked. He added that his mother once told him that if things did not work out academically, he could always open an auto repair shop near home.
Yolanda admitted that she knew very little about her son’s academic achievements. She even learned through friends of friends that he had ranked first in his school class for four consecutive years. When Lance Wu invited her to open his Princeton University admission email together, her first reaction was to ask, “Where is Princeton?” It was only after friends began congratulating her on his acceptance that the significance of the achievement truly sank in.
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