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Anita Bennett, a 14-year-old from Northeast Ohio, made national headlines when she became the youngest person to get three associate degrees before graduating from high school.
Bennett just completed her studies at Cuyahoga Community College, also known as Tri-C, despite the fact that the majority of teenagers her age were in their first year of high school.
Bennett finished summa cum laude and received a standing ovation from her peers while obtaining her Associate of Science degree as well as two short-term certificates in just 10 months, according to Cleveland 19 News.
According to a school official, she had been enrolled in College Credit Plus (CCP), a dual-enrollment program that allows students to take college-level subjects while still in high school, for the previous three years. Bennett earned her third degree before even finishing her first year of high school, according to the institution.
“This is what excellence looks like,” Cuyahoga Community College President Michael Baston said as the audience continued to applause. Bennett has already decided what she will do next.
She told WKYC 3, “I definitely want to take over my mother’s home childcare. It’s a five-star home childcare and I have just always had a passion for children and for teaching and all of that stuff. So when I get older, I’m going to be her business partner.”
The Bennett family, on the other hand, is no stranger to being a young student at Tri-C; two of Bennett’s siblings had attended online schooling before enrolling in the College Credit Plus Program. Bennett added that her oldest sister, Angel, now 21, began Tri-C when she was 13 years old. Her other sister, Amber, began when she was 11, and Bennett stated that she began when she was 11.
In addition to her academic efforts, the smart adolescent balanced her life by engaging in chorus and gymnastics. She also stated that she will be able to start her profession as an early childhood administrator when she turns 18 years old.
“Tri-C gave me a huge head start on my career, and this will make my life so much more fulfilling,” said Bennett. She stated that she plans to enroll in Cleveland State University or Notre Dame College in the fall.
