This Miami high school senior is about to open a letter from Duke. Watch the reaction
It was supposed to be a special moment for Zoe Meltz’s family Friday night.
But like, OMG, honestly, it’s 2020, so it could have gone either way.
The St. Thomas Aquinas senior decided to film herself opening up her letter of acceptance (or rejection) from Duke University on Friday night.
TikTok hashtags: #duke #decision #dreamschool.
Looking nervous and wearing a Duke sweatshirt, the Miami Shores teenager, whose handle is @unwell12, faces the camera staring at her computer screen.
“Please, please, please,” as she pushes her fingers into her forehead.
“Breathe,” says mom, Evelin Meltz. “Breathe.”
As the 17 year old reads the contents of the email, her eyes widen and face falls.
“I got rejected,” she says flatly.
Her parents behind her look confused.
“What does it say?” asks mom.
Sniffles.
“Aww,” says dad, local lawyer Jonathan Meltz. “Well.”
Tears begin to stream down Zoe’s face as her sister Cassidy, 15, comforts her.
“It’s OK,” she says, patting her head.
The news wasn’t all bad.
Zoe’s parents told the Miami Herald on Monday that her other sister, Maddie, 11, was standing by checking Zoe’s TikTok views and started doing a tally. It soon started blowing up on the social media platform.
The video stands at 13 something million views, and counting; it received 4.2 million-plus likes. Plus Zoe has a whole new fan base of people who can empathize.
“Duke’s loss,” commented one. “Work hard and make them regret this decision.”
“Remember rejection equals redirection,” wrote another.
“Whatever, they lost a good one,” encouraged yet another.
For sure. Zoe also has an early acceptance offer from University of Georgia and is considering going there, her parents say.
Other offers are pending at UVA, Florida State, University of Michigan, Boston College and more, so your move, folks.
So what do to with the Duke hoodie in the video?
She’ll keep it.
“If that’s the worst thing that ever happens to her, great,” says dad.
“It’s all good,” adds mom.
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 6:23 PM.
