Brooklyn College graduate Chelsea Batista got into 11 medical schools after recently receiving her bachelor's degree in biology with a minor in neuroscience.

The 22-year-old Batista says she owes her success to her parents, who came to the United States from the Dominican Republic.

"They were the first in my family to make it past high school, let alone college," she says. "My mom had a master's and my dad was a detective. They didn't tell me I had to do anything. They did for me what I think my mom wants me to do for my siblings, which is lead by example."

All her long hours of studying at the library and countless hours of volunteering have made the moment worth it for Batista, leading her to enroll in the school she thought she'd never be able to attend -- Columbia University.

"I fell in love with everything about Columbia and I'm so blessed to be able to say it and it's not just because of the name," Batista says. "But when I say I'm going to Columbia, the smile on my face is not because I'm going to an Ivy League school. It's because it's my dream school."

Batista is the first to be honored by City Councilman Rafael Espinal, who says she inspires him.

With a four-year scholarship in hand, Batista says she plans pursuing a career in pediatric oncology.