This is a reason to celebrate!
A 14-year-old Chicago teen is celebrating a huge win, graduating with her master’s degree before most of her peers have graduated from high school.
According to Rolling Out, Dorothy Jean Tillman has been exceeding expectations her entire life. At just 8 months old she began talking, by four she was completing math problems and by nine she was starting high school. Three years later at the age of 12, she earned her bachelor’s degree in humanities from Excelsior College.
Tillman said she’s always loved learning and once she finished high school, she figured she should pursue her associates degree which worked in her favor since many of the credits counted towards her bachelors. She just kept going and going.
STEM has always been a huge interest for Tillman, crediting the subjects with shaping her path in education. She obtained her graduate degree from Unity College, through distant learning, in sustainable science and environmental planning and plans to find ways to give back to other young people looking to pursue a career in STEM.
“I’ve been working on STEM labs for kids because I really want to go into the STEM-related field and work with kids. I love helping kids have bright futures. I feel like I’m here to make people happy and to help people find their purpose. I know I want to go into that field, but I’m definitely sticking on the path of my engineering degree. I might go back to school, but my plan is to be an entrepreneur and [use] my engineering degree,” Tillman said.
Tillman said that she just wants to be an inspiration to other kids that they can do it too. “I know, one thing that I would want every kid to know, is that what I did is an option and that they can do it too. It doesn’t take a genius or someone who has been learning forever. I’m not perfect. I’m not the smartest person in the world. It just takes dedication,” she said.
Congratulations Dorothy! We are so proud of you!
Photo Courtesy of @dorothyjeanius/Instagram