15-year-old Black Girl Zaalyiah Giddens Graduates High School 2 Years Early After Being Discouraged
- A 15-year-old girl named Zaalyiah Giddens has bagged her high school diploma in under four years
- The exceptional teenager took advantage of the hybrid options to get ahead of her classmates despite being discouraged
- She has now enrolled at Western Governors University, where she is pursuing a bachelor's in Business and IT Management
Zaalyiah Giddens, a 15-year-old Stockton resident, has graduated from high school and has already begun her college education in the United States of America.
She received her high school diploma after months of dedication, persistence, and her family's support. The prodigy completed this feat in just two years instead of the usual four years.
Source: Getty Images
Zaalyiah Giddens defies odds
Commenting on her accomplishment, Giddens disclosed her motivation during hard times.
"On the tough days when I didn't want to wake up to complete the work, I think an encouraging discussion, a check-in, or something tiny like a hug was the most motivating," she told ABC10.
The 15-year-old maximised the hybrid options to get ahead of her classmates, although she was discouraged.
"I was told I couldn't, that I can only graduate in 11th grade or a semester early in 12th grade. So I had the idea to graduate two years early, and I did just that," Giddens expressed, said Face2Face Africa.
Hybrid learning is an educational approach that combines face-to-face classes and online learning, per Otsimo.
Accelerating her education
Giddens accelerated her education with virtual courses partnered with a college because the traditional school system was moving too slowly for her, according to her mother, Victoria Webb-Giddens.
Webb-Giddens shared that her daughter "was finishing the classes in one to two days. A whole semester's worth of courses in one to two days."
After putting in so much effort, late nights and early mornings, Zaalyiah Giddens excelled by passing tests and courses in a quarter of the average time.
"Some days, she was up before me," Webb-Giddens added, revealing shocked many during her graduation owing to her age because everyone else was 18 and 19 years old.
This prompted her mother to enrol in online college courses and complete her degree alongside her daughter. Giddens' outstanding academic achievement earned her membership in the National Honour Society and the National Junior Honour Society.
The remarkable adolescent is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Business and Information Technology Management at Western Governors University. She intends to launch her own cybersecurity company.
Young man graduates as valedictorian of UCC College of Distance Education
In a previous story, YEN.com.gh reported that a young Ghanaian man became the valedictorian of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) College of Distance Education (CoDE).
Abraham Joseph Kwesi Bentil also won the title of best graduating student at the sixth and seventh sessions of the 55th congregation held for graduands of the college.
According to the Ghanaian university, Kwesi Bentil earned a remarkable Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.96.
Boy becomes youngest Black college student in the US
Bentil is not alone. YEN.com.gh previously reported that Elijah Muhammad made Oklahoma State history as a freshman at Oklahoma City Community College in the United States of America.
Muhammad, 12, became the youngest Black student when he enrolled in the college, a feat he is proud of.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
