If he won a soloist award at EE, then I would assume that his audition will get him in. He’s got the grades, too. Winning a soloist award at EE is a really big deal, pretty much the highest honor one could get in high school jazz, other than perhaps winning a national or international jazz instrumental competition.
I am made very uncomfortable by the “how I bring diversity to the school” essay. Was this a mandatory essay prompt? It’s tricky for any white guy, or white gal, too. The approach of ‘some of my relatives aren’t white, so I’ve learned tolerance within my family’, seems a little odd to me - better than ‘some of my best friends are…’, but worse than ‘my own actions/deeds bringing diversity’ - which in his case, they most definitely do! If he hasn’t submitted it yet, can he talk about the diversity that he brings, by bringing jazz to campus? After all, jazz, from it roots right through to its modern day expression, has been a largely African American art form. Wouldn’t bringing his own jazz skills to campus contribute to diversity, because he is bringing a largely AA form of music to share with others on campus? And since jazz is played in ensembles, by default a diverse group of students learn to work intensively together, to come together as a skilled ensemble.
But yeah, he’s gonna get in, I think. How nice for you that he’ll be close to home!