Atlanta's traditionally black Morehouse College has, for the first time in its history, chosen a white student as class valedictorian, school officials said.

Joshua Packwood, 22, will graduate Sunday as a 4.0 student. He rejected a full ride at Columbia University to go to the prestigious black men's university, CNN reported.

Morehouse alumni include the late civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Because I'm one of the only white students, it's easy to call me 'the white boy,' I'm naturally going to stand out, Packwood said.

Packwood, a Kansas City, Mo., native, said he instantly felt comfortable as the minority because he has always naturally gravitated to the black community.

What Morehouse stands for at the end of the day, and what Dr. King epitomized, it's not about black or white, it's about the content of (a person's) character, Packwood said.

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