She graduated high school at 13, earned an undergraduate degree at 16 and received nine law school offers. According to Southern Methodist University in Texas, Haley Taylor Schlitz, 19, is only a few days away from being the youngest Black law school graduate in the United States.
Taylor Schlitz will graduate from SMU’s Dedman School of Law on May 13 after three years of study. Taylor Schlitz’s success in negotiating advanced learning programs at public schools has made her an authority in the field, according to university authorities.
Upon learning that the public school system was struggling to meet Taylor Schlitz’s educational demands, her family decided to homeschool the fifth grader after finding that the school would not allow her to take a gifted program assessment.
By the time she was in third grade “I basically learned to pass the end-of-year exam so I could go on,” she told the Birmingham Times. “I wasn’t being taught how to learn.” ” Later, she said that being denied the option to pursue the gifted program “sparked a fire” in her to combat inequity.
Prior to applying and receiving 15 acceptances to college programs, Taylor Schlitz spent a year at Tarrant County College after finishing high school at the age of 13. According to her own website, she opted to attend Texas Woman’s University, where she graduated at the age of 16 as the school’s youngest ever graduate.
In order to “pursue her ambition to create good change in our society,” she says she decided to get a legal degree, according to her website.
Taylor Schlitz applied to nine law schools, including Howard University School of Law, St. Mary’s University School of Law, Texas Tech University School of Law, and SMU’s Dedman School of Law, all of which approved her application.
“I think the whole educational experience has really helped me grow and learn who I am better,” Haley told the Dallas Morning News about her unusual route to higher education. “That’s something that a lot of people discover about themselves much later in life. Haley’s character has been shaped by my schooling.
As a post-graduate, Taylor Schlitz hopes to work with a high-ranking official or a non-profit organization on issues such as “expanding the chances for brilliant and talented females and students of color,” according to SMU.
“Many females and kids of color are left out of our nation’s gifted and talented programs,” Taylor Schlitz remarked. “Society will miss out on the prospective scientist who cures a major illness, the entrepreneur who starts the next Amazon and so much more. As a result of their gender and/or skin color,”
“I really want to help students realize their potential even if they can’t home-school,” she told the Dallas Morning News. “I want to help families open their eyes to the opportunities that they don’t even realize are there.”
