Dan River HS valedictorian set to attend Harvard featured on ‘The Kelly Clarkson Show’

Deashia Wilson was on Thursday’s episode

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. – You saw it on “The Kelly Clarkson Show" Thursday at 4 p.m.

A young woman from Danville is being recognized for her acceptance into Harvard -- a dream the valedictorian had, since elementary school.

Deashia Wilson is a senior at Dan River High School. She applied to six universities, but none of them mattered after she was accepted into Harvard at the end of March.

Her principal says she is the first person in the area to be accepted into Harvard in 20 years. And while it’s Wilson’s biggest accomplishment yet, this past year was actually one of the worst she’s had.

“Not only did my dad just pass away last year from cancer,” Wilson said. “But us as a family, we’ve always struggled financially since I was a child, and I used that as a push to do what I had to do in school. And I just want to inspire others like it doesn’t matter what you go though, what obstacles, struggles, I mean, you can persevere and do it…”

She says her father was her biggest cheerleader. He would always call her “future Harvard” and “little Harvard”. If all works out with the pandemic, she will head to Harvard at the end of August and start classes on September 2.