Earlier this week, the world became familiar with Curtis Lawrence III, a 16-year-old who earned acceptance letters from 14 colleges and universities. Now, the world is getting acquainted with another teenager who has exceeded academic expectations.
At 15 years old, Ian Taylor Schlitz has earned a college degree from the University of North Texas. Adding to the accomplishment, he graduated Magna cum laude and plans on pursuing a Master's degree from his alma mater.
“It felt cool to be among all of these educated people and at graduation, as I was sitting on the field with everyone else, it was nice to look around and see that I made it,” Schlitz told The Grio.
“I feel really empowered because if I can graduate college at 15, I feel like I can take on the world.”
Schlitz has been working toward this moment for nearly a decade. His parents pulled him out of public school in the first grade and began homeschooling him. William Schlitz explained that the decision was drive by the school's treatment of Black students.
“There’s a lot of racist issues in these schools, especially from these teachers that no one holds accountable, and the children pay the price,” William Schlitz explained.
In six years, Schlitz earned acceptance into the University of North Texas and launched a business with his sister. Now, Ian Schlitz hopes to follow in the footsteps of his mother. After obtaining a Master's degree in business administration, he hopes to pivot into medical school like his mother, a physician, did.
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