This article is part of the Black Magic Project, which is a series of stories focusing on those who do inspiring things in the black community. If you’re a Facebook user, you can join our Black Magic Project group, where we talk about stories and issues concerning black Alabamians.

Navigating around the competitive, and sometimes questionable, world of college admissions is a complex feat for many high school seniors. But one Birmingham teen is finishing his journey with $1.1 million in scholarships (and counting) and 31 college acceptance letters (and counting).

Getting ready for life after high school is a task 18-year-old Benjamin Holmes started his freshman year after enrolling into Woodlawn High School's Early College Program. The dual enrollment program allows high school students to take college courses at Lawson State Community College and UAB with all expenses paid — including books and transportation. The credits not only go towards a student's college degree, but also suffices their high school requirements.

With his 4.05 GPA and 52 college credits, Holmes will not only graduate in May as the valedictorian of his class, but he will also be eight credits shy from being a college junior.

Early College Coordinator, Dana Marshall, calls Holmes' scholarship success a rarity. During her 12 years as an educator, she's known many students who attended Ivy League institutions. But Holmes is the first student she has known to be awarded more than $1 million in scholarships despite the fierce competition during the college admission process.

The National Center for Educational Statistics estimates that 19.9 million students attended U.S. colleges and universities during the fall 2018 semester — a 4 million student increase when compared to fall 2000. NCES experts expect college enrollment numbers to increase to about 21 million by 2027.

“For many students and parents, college is the gold star. From the moment students walk into high school, we focus on their post-secondary credentials,” Marshall said. “As some students compete for the limited scholarship opportunities, schools have been able to consistently raise the bar.”

In the race for college acceptance, Marshall said Holmes still makes sure his fellow students don't fall behind. He edits students' college essays, tutors them for the ACT and helps them hunt and apply for scholarships. And he does it all free of charge.

He will also help them find jobs, give them tips when they land a job interview, and drive them to the job interview, even if he is on his way to work himself. Because of his consistency in helping many students academically, Holmes has become many students' go-to sounding board. No matter the time of day, they call or text him to vent. Regardless of whether the conversations last five minutes or five hours, Holmes makes himself available to the other students.

Holmes calls himself an “interim parent.” It’s an unconventional term to use while applying for college, but it’s a term that best describes how he shepherds his classmates toward the same success he has built for himself.

Marshall said Holmes was informing students about scholarships that even she didn't know about at the time.

"Ben is truly the epitome of the old adage, 'Hard work pays off,'" Marshall said. "Schools use the ACT as an indicator of possible college success. Ben has proven his academic success and college readiness."

By the fall of his senior year, Holmes applied to a total of 60 colleges and universities. He isn't sure yet which school he wants to attend, but he knows he wants to triple major in secondary education, anthropology and biology.

But all of the hard work and preparation in the world can't prepare students from some of the complexities of the college readiness process, especially when it comes to factors beyond their control.

Recently, a 10-month FBI probe into $25 million college admission cheating scam revealed how wealthy parents were using their money and prestige to help their kids be admitted into elite colleges. One of the nine colleges under investigation is the University of Southern California - a school Holmes applied for several months back. Holmes received a rejection letter from the school last week.

Holmes said he isn't questioning the rejection and he said doesn't believe in putting his worth into a college application.

"If I didn't get accepted, it's not because I'm not qualified," Holmes said. "You have to know who you are, go to a school where you have been accepted and build a name for yourself at that school.

"Everything is not going to be a door opening. There will be doors closing," he continued "But you can't dwell on it because that's a lot of emotional and physical stress."

Ben Holmes reading to a student in Chicago during last year's Spring Break. He was participating in research on redlining in Chicago and Birmingham and the long lasting effects of the practice.

It was Holmes' humbled confidence that made Terrell Roseman reach out for Holmes' help after scoring a 15 on the ACT. Roseman believes he received the low ACT score at first because his test anxiety caused him to rush through problems. Holmes jumped right in and gave Roseman an ACT prep book and emailed him test-taking tips.

A football player at Woodlawn who has dreams of playing ball while obtaining a graphic design and business degree at UAB, Roseman said Holmes became one of his loudest cheerleaders. With Holmes' tutoring and encouragement, Roseman increased his ACT score to a 26. They became close friends afterward.

"We need more people like Ben because, as I see teens dying, we need more positive people who show us that if you got a goal for yourself, don't quit," Roseman said. "Strive to be the greatest and don't give up on your dreams."

Roseman said Holmes has pumped a lot of that hope into students like himself. Roseman received a $10,000 yearly academic scholarship with UAB, which will cover the majority of his tuition. However, he still has to find a way to cover other fees and the costs of college not included in tuition scholarships. But Roseman said he will keep pushing forward because Holmes has shown him he can overcome multiple obstacles.

Roseman said he doesn't know where he would be if not for meeting Holmes.

“I probably would have done the street life,” Roseman said. “I wouldn’t want to do college no more and say, ‘Forget school.’ Because it’s hard. I know for Ben it’s hard and everywhere you go it’s going to be hard.”

For many of the students Marshall interacts with, the determination of whether a student will go to college is financial. Scholarships are harder to come by as universities require higher ACT scores. At UAB, for example, a student has to have both a 3.5 or higher GPA and an ACT score ranging above 30 to receive a "full ride" scholarship. A student with a 26 or 27 ACT score and a 3.5 GPA can qualify for an $2,000 yearly scholarship at Auburn University.

"I have known students with outstanding resumes, ACT scores, and community service and not receive full scholarships because there are so many students, globally, vying for those scholarship dollars," Marshall said.

Holmes made a 20 on the ACT, which wouldn’t be enough to qualify him for a full ride at many institutions. The bulk of the scholarships he did receive are tied to the universities themselves, meaning he would have to attend the school to get the scholarship. He’s still waiting to hear about some of the scholarships he applied for.

He remains hopeful that more expenses could be covered by more scholarships.