Homeschooler Gets PhD at 17

It’s always nice to read about homeschoolers achieving academic honors without following the conventional school schedule, as Dorothy Tillman recently did. Only 17-years-old, she recently received her PhD from Arizona State University. The NY Times writes:

Ms. Tillman, called DJ by her family and friends, was an early bloomer. She grew up in Chicago and was home-schooled from a young age, first in a group setting through online classes, and then by her mother, Jimalita Tillman, a single parent with a background in community theater.

While there have been many stories about gifted homeschoolers achieving academic success over the 40+ years I’ve been writing about homeschooling, two things leaped out to me from Ms. Tillman’s story: her desire to share her love of science and art with other young people, and her desire to “focus on who I am" as her next step. Well, actually her near-next step, because she is hosting and teaching at a summer camp she founded, the Dorothy Jeanius STEAM Leadership Institute. But her self-awareness and desire to create a community of people who share her interests is remarkable, as is her mother’s ability to nurture Dorothy’s mind and social abilities. I look forward to seeing what happens next as Dorothy continues to grow and explore who she is. Look at what she’s accomplished already!