Photo courtesy of Facebook
An Oklahoma teen made history by becoming the youngest student to graduate with honors from two colleges last week.
Shania Muhammad, 14, earned an associate’s degree in diversified studies on May 14 from Oklahoma Community College. The following day, she also graduated from Langston University, the Atlanta Black Star reported.
Her father, Elijah Muhammad, shared a post on Facebook, congratulating his daughter on graduating from the institution.
Muhammad was homeschooled when she started taking classes at OCC when she was 13 years old. However, the 14-year-old’s parents contributed to her success, encouraging her to achieve her academic goals.
“We have over 150 medals, over 50 trophies, we have over 100 academic awards as well,” Elijah said.
While some teenagers are navigating their academic careers in high school, Muhammad already made history by becoming the youngest scholar to attend the University of Oklahoma. After one semester, she decided to transfer to her parent’s alma mater, Langston University, the only HBCU in the state.
“I actually experienced and enjoyed Langston. It felt like I was at home [away] from home,” Shania said. “I don’t feel judged. It’s like we understood where we came from.”
The gifted student plans to further her education at Langston with a bachelor’s degree in family consumer science and a minor in plant soil science. She also wants to return to the University of Oklahoma to earn her master’s degree in business administration.
In addition to her academic achievements, Muhammad wrote a book entitled “Read, Write, Listen” to inspire others by sharing her journey as one of the youngest Black college students in the nation. She also started a clothing line called Smart Girl.
When asked what advice she would give to other young savants, Muhammad said, “always be prepared for your biggest opportunity.”
She continued, “Don’t let your age be the ceiling to your potential, and I really want to push that. You cannot let that be a barrier to your life. It’s like I was in the seventh grade, and the whole time I was on the collegiate level; I just didn’t know it.”
Muhammad’s younger brother has seemingly followed in her footsteps. The 12-year-old plans to take cybersecurity classes at Oklahoma City Community College in the fall.
“If we put the same passion and intensity that we do into sports into education, you achieve the same result,” she said.