Point Pleasant Boro Senior Accepted Into 4 Ivy League Schools

POINT PLEASANT—Getting accepted to an Ivy League university is an impressive feat on its own.

Getting accepted by four of them, including the school you’ve wanted to go to since you were a kid? That’s the stuff that dreams are made of.

For Point Pleasant Boro senior Soncera “Sunny” Ball, that dream is a reality as she was accepted into four Ivy League schools: Brown, Cornell, Yale and, her number one choice, Princeton, where she’ll be pursuing either philosophy, history, or psychology, with certificates in music performance and creative writing.

“It was definitely one of the most surreal things I’ve ever experienced,” Sunny said.

“I’ve been to Princeton’s campus so many times, but I never would have thought that I’d live and learn there. It’s truly a dream.”

For Sunny, getting that acceptance letter meant that all the hard work she has put in over the years meant it was all worth it.

“As much as I do my best to find internal worth, it was absolutely validating to get that recognition,” Sunny said.

“I’ve worked so hard my whole life, and it was such a relief to finally see that I was working hard enough to achieve my dream.”

According to Sunny’s parents, Damien and Katie Ball, it was the determination and drive that was the catalyst in her achieving her dream goal.

“Sunny has always had her own exceptional form of determination that is unique to her and her journey,” her parents said.

“She has always pushed herself to be better than she was the day before, which did not need to be encouraged from an outside source. She merely needed support and the space to grow into the successful individual that she has become.”

The support that her parents mention came not from them and the rest of her family but the Point Pleasant community as well.

“The Point Pleasant community was extremely supportive,” Sunny said. “I’m endlessly grateful for not only the people that wrote me recommendation letters but everyone who has believed in me over the years.”

Another huge factor in her success, according to her parents, is the support and education that she received from the Point Pleasant School District, notably her current and former teachers that she has had throughout her childhood.

“The administration and educators have been incredibly supportive of Sunny since elementary school, and we have always felt that they were truly invested in her success,” her parents said.

“Even when she has moved on from certain classes, her teachers have continued to offer support and encouragement.”

The reaction to Sunny’s achievement from the Point Pleasant community has been one of pride and joy.

“Everyone has been so excited and supportive,” Sunny said. “We all sort of freaked out, honestly, and it’s been so wonderful to receive kind words from people who I’ve always looked up to that I didn’t even know were following my journey. It’s a community that I’m proud to represent at Princeton.”

As you can imagine, the process of applying to one Ivy League school is daunting enough, but when you quadruple that, it can be a huge mountain to climb. Sunny and her parents, however, were able to navigate such an arduous process by coming up with a battle plan for dealing with the application process, including spreadsheets to help keep track of everything.

“Given the amount of effort needed to complete each application, it was important to narrow this list down so that she could focus on the schools that were the best fit for her,” Sunny’s parents said.

“She took a careful look at her own priorities and weighed them against the strengths of each school. It was overwhelming at times, but it did help her streamline what schools to apply to.”

While the process felt like a full-time job at times for Sunny, it allowed for an opportunity to learn something about herself.

“It requires a lot more intense introspection than I expected; I spent the majority of my college application season writing personal essays and compiling resumes,” Sunny said. “It got super exhausting after a time, but was definitely worth it.”

When asked if she had any advice for someone that was trying to apply to their “dream school,” Sunny said that while hard work is important, the most important thing is that they enjoy and love what they do.

“If I could give any advice to people pursuing their dream schools, I would advise them not to waste time on things that don’t truly make them happy,” Sunny says.

“If your passion is remarkable, you will be noticed.”