(Photo credit: Twitter)
Haley Taylor Schlitz, who graduated from high school at 13, is not your typical 16-year-old, to say the least. She is set to graduate with a bachelor of science in interdisciplinary studies in May and prepares to attend Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law this fall, one of nine (yes NINE) schools that accepted her, according to the American Bar Association.
“I think the entire educational experience has really helped me grow and learn who I am better,” Haley told DallasNews.com. “A lot of people find that out about themselves a little bit later in life. My education has really helped me get to know who Haley is.”
Haley was homeschooled after her parents withdrew her from public school in the fifth grade because they didn’t like the way she was being taught.
After high school, she began taking classes at Tarrant County College and started at Texas Woman’s University in 2017, according to Good Morning America.
But the story doesn’t stop with Haley. Get this: Haley’s mother, Dr. Myiesha Taylor, is an emergency physician, who was so inspired by the children’s show Doc McStuffins that she sent Disney Channel a collage of herself and other female doctors of color to thank them. The show is about a Black girl who is a doctor to her toys that come to life.
Disney responded by casting her in a live-action segment. Months later, they also named a character on the show after her — Myiesha McStuffins!
Haley initially wanted to go into medicine like her mother but now wants to become an attorney and advocate for gifted students from traditionally neglected communities. She has spoken out against systemic racism in American public schools.
“It is my hope that I can bring my passion for addressing education equity issues, and help facilitate a program that focuses on the legal advocacy needs of underserved students and their families in accessing gifted education programs,” she wrote in a Medium article. “The lack of access to these programs helps promote stereotypes and keeps students of color in our K-12 schools locked in an education system that views them as the problem instead of the solution.”
(Photo credit: Twitter)
After she graduates from SMU, Haley hopes to practice law and become a judge. She said she also wants to…
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