NJ Teen Was Homeless — Now He’s Been Accepted by 18 Colleges

A Jersey City high school senior said his family's past struggles with homelessness won't limit him as he's been accepted to 18 colleges, including his top choice — The College of New Jersey.

Dylan Chidick, 17, has been sharing his growing pile of acceptance letters on Facebook. CBS New York did a recent feature on the Henry Snyder High School senior class president.

Other schools ready to welcome Chidick in their incoming freshman class include Rowan University, William Paterson University, Quinnipiac University, Ramapo College and Albright College.

The news station was at the school on Tuesday helping mark his latest acceptance from TCNJ with a Facebook live video, seen below:

Back in November, Chidick already had been accepted at more than five schools, including "New Jersey City University w/ scholarships. I CAN FINALLY BREATHE. On top of that I finally got all A’s a semester! This week is full of blessings!"

Because of his financial situation, college application fees were all waived.

As previously reported by CBS New York, Chidick and his family have been through a number of struggles, moving from Trinidad a decade ago, spending some time in Brooklyn and becoming a U.S. citizen. His younger twin brothers are living with serious heart conditions.

Chidick, his brothers and their single mother have been supported by the nonprofit WomenRising, a community-based organization for women in Hudson County aimed at self-sufficiency through social services, economic development and advocacy services.

While preparing to become the first in his family to go to college, this past weekend Chidick created a GoFundMe account called "Furthering Dylan's Education."

Chidick said in a written description of the campaign that the $10,000 fundraising goal was generated by the "GoFundMe campaign experts." He said while he has received scholarships from schools and aid from the government, "even with all of that, I would still have to pay a drastic amount out of pocket."

Chidick said money raised would help pay for high school senior expenses such as prom and graduation, while the rest would go directly into an account for college purposes only, "Whether it be books, college supplies or clothes."

He also said people should not feel pressure to donate, as their "words of encouragement is payment enough."