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When Nubia Wilson (pictured, center) turned sweet 16 she did not want a fancy party to celebrate that milestone. The young philanthropist instead wanted her parents to take the money they would have spent on the festivities and turn them over to poverty-stricken Ethiopian children at a school that only goes up to the fourth grade, so that they could have a fifth grade class, according to ABC News.

The Antioch, California high schooler has spent several summers doing volunteer work at the school and witnessed firsthand the poor conditions there.  Wilson was mostly touched by the fact that the children’s education level did not extend beyond the fourth grade.

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Wilson became attached to one student in particular, Hermela, who is a second grader. As the relationship bond between Wilson and Hermela strengthened, the teen could not even fathom that the bright little girl’s education would have to stop at the fourth grade level due to a serious lack of funds at the school.

Wilson felt compelled to make sure that Hermela and her peers would be able to attend the fifth grade.  The only way the young dynamo could secure this goal would be to take the monies her folks would have spent on a sweet 16 party and to redirect them towards establishing the grade.

After getting her family involved in her plans, Wilson also told friends but did not want the much-needed bucks to stop with them.  So Wilson set up a donation page, “Keep Hermela Smiling” on the Crowd Rise site in hopes that the public would join in her fund-raising efforts to help the Fregenet Foundation, which funds education and community services in Ethiopia.

Wilson has a goal of raising $10,000 for the foundation and is also selling chocolate bars to help it along as well.  At press time, Wilson’s cause had garnered nearly $3,000 in contributions.

Way to go Nubia — you chose to ‘turn up’ in a SUPER way!