After 17-year-old Micheal Brown made news for getting into 20 of the top universities in the country and securing scholarships to each of them, he was showered with praise. Former president Bill Clinton even weighed in on Brown’s astounding accomplishment, telling the teen “if you want to talk about Georgetown give me a call.”
While most would agree Brown is a brilliant young man with a promising future, two local news anchors chose a curious way to describe the star student: obnoxious.
During a bizarre segment on Fox’s Washington, D.C. affiliate, reporters Holly Morris and Sarah Fraser criticized Brown — who has a 4.68 GPA — for applying to 20 schools and “taking a spot from someone else who worked really hard.”
“It’s a little ridiculous that this kid applied to 20, taking away a spot and basically waitlisting another kid,” Fraser said.
Morris agreed. “It’s a little obnoxious because you can only go to one, you can only take one full ride, and you are taking a spot from someone else who worked really hard,” she said.
Once the clip hit social media, however, many dragged the reporters for complaining about Brown’s amazing feat. Some even pointed out the racist undertones of the women’s words.
After they were slammed for criticizing the teen, Fraser issued an apology on Twitter, admitting her words were “petty.”
Morris, on the other hand, held firm to her original stance that Brown applied to too many schools and should have done “a more targeted search.”
In spite of the negative comments, Brown and Morris spoke via Skype, but the teen said he refused to allow the station to air the interview because she has yet to apologize for her remarks.
Brown, who grew up in Houston’s third ward and watched his mother struggle to finish school after her divorce, said he hopes his story will inspire others.
“Honored to share my story to show other students that if you put in the work, you will be rewarded,” he tweeted. “ Much love to all the first-gen college students, low-income students, and students of color who are just trying to achieve their dreams.”