Teen Girl Who Lost Home to Hurricane Sandy Gets 7 Ivy Acceptances

Less than two years ago, Long Island teenager Daria Rose had to evacuate her home during Hurricane Sandy and then stand by as all of her family’s possessions were destroyed in a subsequent house fire. Now, she has snagged herself a cool 14 college acceptances, half of them to Ivy League schools—and it’s an impeccable batting average, as she didn’t apply to Columbia.

ABC News interviewed her about what it was like to lose everything and live in transit for a year and a half; Rose is teen girl-ish (“It’s hard being a teenager and losing all these clothes and makeup and jewelry,” she says) and still remarkably sanguine, considering she was at an age when a delayed text message can send people into hour-long crying fits:

“My mom and my dad and my family, they made me realize what was important,” she said. “Stuff is just stuff. What is important is your health, education, your family.”

According to ABC, Rose plans to study political science and Russian literature, and hasn’t decided yet which school she’ll attend.