LINCOLN COUNTY, Tenn. (WHNT) — Jay Simms, a senior at Lincoln County High School, is taking his academic abilities to new heights.

The 18-year-old is headed to Yale University, and he won’t have to worry about a single expense after earning over $1 million in scholarships.

Simms says there was plenty of excitement once he learned he’d be accepted to the Ivy League.

“It’s been actually a fantastic experience I have kind of dreamed about this since middle school when I got the acceptance letters back from the different Ivy’s, it was truly just like a shock,” Simms said.

The senior is making school history by becoming the first Lincoln County High School Student to attend an Ivy League.

Simms worked hard to obtain his 4.6 GPA, while also becoming a student leader in the classroom. Lincoln County High School teacher Edie Martin talked about the impact Simms has had on their campus.

“Jay Simms is one of the best I’ve ever had. He’s going to make a difference, he’s a world changer,” Martin said. “I believe it with my whole heart, so all I want for Jay is for him to just grow into the person that he’s already becoming.”

Simms is hoping to set an example for future students, and he wants students in Lincoln County to know that anything is possible.

“It can be done. I think a lot of times because we’re in a small rural area it’s easy to say like, oh it’s such a far-fetched idea. It really just shows that anybody can do it,” Simms said.

He will begin his college career at Yale when he starts taking summer classes at the end of June. Simms plans to major in neuroscience and hopes to one day become a neurosurgeon.

The future Yale Bulldog will receive his high school diploma when he walks across the stage on May 19th.