'Call Nana!' Viral video shows Columbus High student celebrating acceptance into Harvard

The video of a Columbus High School senior learning he got into Harvard University has gone viral.

Three days since Derek Huell posted it Dec. 12 on his Twitter account, the video has generated more than 170,000 views.

The video, filmed by his brother, Dan Huell III, shows Derek seated at a computer in his home's kitchen. It's the day Harvard notifies applicants whether their early-action requests have been accepted. He keeps the viewer in suspense as he logs into the portal -- and looks at the camera with widened eyes.

At first, he calmly states, "I got into Harvard." Then he hollers, "I got into Harvard!"

The rest of the 1-minute, 6-second video includes Derek joyfully jumping around the kitchen.

He shouts, "Call Nana! ... Call everybody!"

Derek almost knocks over his mother, Bernice, as he hugs her and says, "I worked my entire life for this."

Putting in perspective how hard he worked for this, Derek said in his Twitter message, "Born to lose. Built to win. Blessed to be accepted to the HARVARD University!!"

In an emailed interview with the Ledger-Enquirer, Derek said seeing how popular his video became makes him "extremely gratified that people truly appreciate my hard work over the past few years," he said. "Moreover, it was great to see how supportive the online community is in essence of significant accomplishments."

Asked whether he will attend Harvard, Derek said, "I am currently waiting to hear from several colleges and scholarships, but Harvard is definitely in the lead."

He also has applied to the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt University and Emory University. He plans to apply to Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, Duke University and Rice University. The only other college that has notified him is Georgia, where he was admitted into the honors program.

Derek wants to major in neurobiology. His career goal is to become a neurosurgeon and conduct Alzheimer's disease research.

This story was originally published December 15, 2017 at 3:11 PM with the headline "'Call Nana!' Viral video shows Columbus High student celebrating acceptance into Harvard."