Nicole Laeno knew for years that she wanted to attend the University of California, Los Angeles.
So on March 15, the high school student from Torrance, California, gathered with her mother, father and brother to find out whether or not she had been accepted into her dream school. To her disappointment, she was not offered a spot in the university’s incoming freshman class.
The 18-year-old, who has been creating content since high school, recorded her emotional reaction and shared it on TikTok, where the video quickly went viral with more than 47 million views and more than 44,000 comments.
Among the tens of thousands who participated was ABC News senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott, who wrote: “I got rejected from my dream school – it was the best thing that ever happened to me. You can’t connect the dots in the future, but Op One day, when you look back, you’ll see that it led you to where you need to be.”
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Laeno said that even though the outcome was not what she would have wanted, she did not shy away from sharing her tears and sad news with her millions of social media followers online.
“I always wanted to share the real things about growing up and I knew already when decisions came up in college, I wanted to capture everything, my reactions, everything that happened, and just the whole process in general.” Laeno told “Good Morning America.”
For Laeno, this moment was the culmination of hard work and effort that she devoted herself to with all her heart.
“I kept going [the UCLA] campus. I went to their dance clinics. “I bought all the merchandise I could and just represented it and felt proud and literally had that as my dream school,” she said.
“So when I got my rejection letter from my dream school, it was like a knife to the heart,” Laeno continued. “You feel like you’ve been working your whole life at this moment and then when it’s kind of stopped, you feel that disappointment and you’re just absolutely let down.”
Linda Laeno, who described her daughter as her “best friend,” told “GMA” that it was also difficult for her to see Nicole go through such a rollercoaster journey of expectation and rejection.
“My heart broke for her,” the mother of two said. ‘This poor girl fantasized about this, like her whole life. …I was beside myself.”
But Nicole Laeno knew she would get through the difficult decision with her family by her side.
“I knew this process was actually just overwhelming and stressful,” she said. “I always want my support system and those three [my mother, father and brother] Are. So especially during my time at UCLA, I was like, ‘Yes, I need all of you there.'”
She also said it helped that others shared their own rejection experiences online and lived the story.
“It really reassures me that I’m going to be okay. And I always knew that, but when I heard the words of people who had already been through it, I thought, ‘Okay, that’s okay. It’s going to be okay.’ Laeno said. .
Now that it’s been a month since being rejected from her dream school, Laeno said she’s probably “screamed it all out” and decided to attend another school in Southern California: San Diego State University, where she plans to major in communications to go to study.
“I have committed to SDSU – San Diego State University,” Laeno said. “I’m so incredibly excited. I’m finally at a place where I can put the rejection behind me and look forward to other things and a new chapter in my life. I’m already thinking about the clubs or student organizations I’m going to. ” Do you want to join.”
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Laeno said that for other high school students who feel nervous or scared about their future, there is light on the other side of rejection.
“To all the other seniors out there who are going through this process and may still be feeling the disappointment and loss, go through the motions 100%, cry it all out if you need to, but you will get to a place where you know rejection is detour and you end up where you’re supposed to be,” Laeno said.
“You’ll be able to get to a place where you’re happy and excited about something else,” she added.
And for other parents with children in college, Linda Laeno said, “My advice would be: be there for it [your children]Be strong for them and reassure them that you love them and that they are not less than whatever their decision is.”
Why this 18-year-old wanted to share her rejection from her dream school originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com