A high school senior from Oakland had 31 colleges say yes. Now he has picked one.
Dominic Antoine Jr., an 18-year-old senior at Fremont High School in East Oakland, announced on May 1 that he plans to attend Louisiana State University.
“I applied for biology with pre-med track,” Antoine told KTVU.
Antoine, who many know by the nickname “Pooda,” said the choice was difficult because every school he applied to accepted him.
“No rejections!” Antoine said.
He had a 4.3 grade point average and applied to 31 colleges. His short list included the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley. He also 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, Morgan State University in Maryland and Syracuse University in New York.
In the end, Antoine said, “I knew where my heart was and I trusted my gut.”
He told KTVU he felt LSU would help him realize his dream of becoming a doctor. In a previous interview with the station, he said LSU was the first college to respond and offered him a top-tier, merit-based scholarship package.
Antoine also said academics would be his priority. He had received interest from a couple of schools about possibly playing basketball, but said he would make academics his main focus.
On Instagram on Friday, Antoine posted a video announcing his decision. In the caption, he wrote: “Next stop: Louisiana State University 💜💛chasing my path toward orthopedic surgery🩺,”
KTVU first featured Antoine in February after the varsity basketball player was voted first team all-league. Around that time, he also went viral after he was highlighted in a social media post from the Black College Expo at the Oakland Convention Center.
In a post by educator and best-selling children’s book author Claudia Walker, bystanders reacted after learning about Antoine’s grades and athletics.
“4.3 student athlete, varsity basketball. They don’t yell it out enough!” one man shouted.
Antoine said the attention caught him off guard.
“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,” Antoine said.
Beyond academics, Antoine has drawn praise on the court and at school.
“There was something about him,” Coach Derek Smith told KTVU in February, saying he noticed Antoine when he saw him play in a tournament as a middle schooler.
Smith said he recruited Antoine to join his Amateur Athletic Union traveling basketball team, The Right Way Academy. For the past four years, Smith said he has been a coach and mentor in Antoine’s life.
“I wouldn’t trade him for nothing in the world. I wish I had 12 of him,” Smith said. “This kid is phenomenal. I’m telling you, he’s on a whole other level.”
Fremont principal Nidya Baez called Antoine “a caring leader who advocates for all students.”
“He fights for inclusion of students with disabilities in activities and goes out of his way to make them feel welcomed,” Baez told KTVU.
Antoine said he takes being a role model and mentor seriously. He has served as a peer tutor, enjoys helping students with math and has helped classmates with their college applications.
His grade point average was built through Advanced Placement classes including biology, English literature and U.S. history. He also took college-level courses while in high school.
Antoine said he loves sciences such as physiology and biology, and said his interest in orthopedic surgery comes in part from his own experience with sports injuries. He has also competed in football and track.
“A lot of back and forward to orthopedics, getting MRIs, getting x-rays, getting checkups,” he said.
When a doctor gives answers and treatment options for an injury, Antoine said, “I feel so relieved after being helped.”
Read more from Fox 5.
