Jennifer Sunmonu's blended family helps her 'deal with people'

If you ask Jennifer Sunmonu, she'll tell you her life has been no more challenging than anyone else's. Ask her teachers and they'll say it's that very modesty that makes her extraordinary.

Sunmonu, a senior at Jericho High School, lives in a home with 11 siblings as part of a blended family that came together when her father remarried several years after her mother passed away while Sunmonu was in kindergarten. The family has also faced obstacles ranging from relocating to temporary housing in Sunmonu's freshman year to dealing with the recent stroke of her stepmother.

On top of that, Sunmonu is also the sole African-American female among the 275 students in her senior class and one of only two black students in the class altogether.

"Being the only black girl gave me confidence to be who I am and not care what other people think," said Sunmonu, 17. "I used to feel insecure and different, but I learned to embrace it."

At Jericho, Sunmonu's academic achievements include having a weighted grade-point average of 4.0 that earned her the nickname "Jenny the Genius" among classmates. She is also a peer tutor at the school and a member of the Blue Key Club and the National and Spanish honor societies.

In addition, she interned last summer at the nonprofit Long Island Fund for Women & Girls and has earned a Silver President's Volunteer Service Award for accumulating 179 hours of community service.

Her plans: Sunmonu plans to attend Duke University in the fall.

In her words: "You learn to deal with people and be patient in a large family. I love it. I'm never bored."

The view from the guidance office: "Given Jennifer's history, all that she has achieved is no small feat," said her guidance counselor, Debbie Lisa-Brown.