She graduated college with an associate degree at 16 and bachelor’s degree at 19

At just 19 years old, Amara Leggett has already accomplished feats that many would consider extraordinary. From earning her associate degree at 16 to graduating with a bachelor’s degree in computer science at 19, Amara’s journey is a testament to the power of determination, strategic planning, and the importance of seizing opportunities.

Early Beginnings: The Dual Enrollment Advantage

Amara’s story began in 8th grade when she attended a meeting about the Dual Enrollment program in Ohio. Intrigued by the possibility of taking college classes while still in high school, she enrolled in her first college course at just 14. This decision set her on a unique educational path, allowing her to graduate high school with 7 credits already completed, thanks to her attendance at a STEM junior high school.

The Dual Enrollment program enabled Amara to receive dual credits for her college classes, allowing her to graduate from both high school and college simultaneously. By the age of 16, she had earned her Associate of Science degree from Columbus State Community College just 10 days after receiving her high school diploma. This achievement not only marked a significant milestone in her life but also inspired her to help others achieve similar success.

Building a Personal Brand: A Young Legend

Recognizing the impact of her journey, Amara launched her first company, A Young Legend, to build her personal brand and share her story with the world. She started a blog to document her experiences as an early graduate with a keen interest in business and technology. This platform soon garnered attention, leading to speaking engagements and eventually a TEDx Talk in 2018. In her talk, titled “Develop a Plan, Make the Impossible Possible,” Amara outlined her strategy for achieving what many believed to be unattainable. The success of her TEDx Talk catapulted her into the world of public speaking, where she now shares her insights on Dual Enrollment, personal branding, and Generation Z with audiences across the country.

Amara also authored “The Strategic Mind of A Young Legend,” a book that delves into how she built a successful personal brand around the title of “college graduate at 16.” The book has since inspired readers of all ages to pursue their goals with strategic planning and unwavering determination.

From Student to Software Engineer

Amara’s passion for technology was evident from a young age. Around the same time she began her college classes, she also started teaching herself to code, learning languages like Python, JavaScript, and PHP. This self-driven education laid the foundation for her career in software engineering.

While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in computer science with a minor in information assurance, Amara gained valuable work experience through internships. She served as a marketing intern, where she worked closely with website design and front-end development. Later, she became a software strategy and architecture intern, designing and coding a static website. Her final internship as a security assurance intern involved specializing in the configuration management of applications.

By December 2020, Amara had earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Leo University, Florida. Today, she works as a software engineer, combining her technical expertise with her passion for helping others.

The Dual Enrollment Company: Empowering the Next Generation

Amara’s journey in Dual Enrollment didn’t end with her own success. She recognized a growing need for guidance in this area and founded the Dual Enrollment Company to fill that gap. The company creates content, digital tools, products, and services to help students graduate early and debt-free through Dual Enrollment.

One of the company’s most popular offerings is the Dual Enrollment Near You search engine, which allows students to find Dual Enrollment programs in their country, state/province, and school. Other resources include the Dual Enrollment GPA Calculator and The Dual Enrollment Planner. The company’s mission is to address the gaps in the Dual Enrollment program and ensure that students maximize the benefits and opportunities available to them.

Unlike many organizations that focus on Dual Enrollment, the Dual Enrollment Company places students at the center of its efforts, working closely with their families, high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions worldwide. From the United States to Canada, The Bahamas, Morocco, India, Vietnam, and beyond, Amara’s company is making a global impact.

Overcoming Challenges and Pivots

Amara’s journey has not been without its challenges. The most significant struggle she faced was ensuring that all the credits and requirements aligned perfectly for her to graduate with both her high school diploma and associate degree at 16. This required meticulous planning and a relentless work ethic, particularly during her last semester at community college when she took the highest number of college credits she had ever attempted.

After completing her associate degree, Amara faced the challenge of funding her bachelor’s degree. Despite applying for numerous scholarships, she did not receive any external financial aid. However, she persevered and graduated from St. Leo University, later receiving a small scholarship from donors who supported students at the institution.

In 2020, as she approached the end of her bachelor’s program, Amara made a strategic pivot by launching the Dual Enrollment Company. This move allowed her to separate her personal story from the platform that students use to discover Dual Enrollment, ensuring the longevity and impact of the company’s mission.

Inspiring the Future

Amara Leggett’s story is one of resilience, determination, and a commitment to helping others achieve their goals. Through A Young Legend and the Dual Enrollment Company, she continues to inspire students around the world to pursue their dreams, no matter their age or circumstances. Her message is clear: with a solid plan and unwavering determination, the impossible can become possible.

Amara’s journey is far from over, and as she continues to break barriers and pave the way for others, one thing is certain—she truly is a young legend in the making.

In an inspiring tale of resilience, determination, and groundbreaking achievement, Charlyne Smith, a 27-year-old Jamaican-born scientist, has made history by becoming the first Black person to earn a PhD in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Florida. This remarkable feat not only solidifies her place in the annals of academia but also opens doors for marginalized communities, especially Black women and men, in the nuclear energy space.

Born and raised in St. Catherine, Jamaica, Charlyne Smith’s journey to academic excellence began with a deep-seated desire to solve the energy challenges faced by her home country. Growing up, she witnessed firsthand the struggles of accessing reliable electricity, a challenge that fueled her ambition to find sustainable solutions. Her passion for energy solutions was initially directed toward solar energy, but after realizing the slower pace of technological advancements in that field, she turned her focus to nuclear engineering.

Smith’s academic journey took her to Coppin State University in Baltimore, Maryland, where she graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and Mathematics. It was during an alumni event at Coppin State University that she met Dr. Nickie Peters, a nuclear scientist who would profoundly influence her career trajectory. Dr. Peters’ insights led Smith to pursue a path in nuclear engineering, a field she believed could bring immediate change to energy-deprived regions like Jamaica.

Charlyne Smith’s pursuit of excellence led her to the University of Florida, where she embarked on a PhD program in Nuclear Engineering. Her research, which focused on the microstructural evolution of Uranium-Molybdenum and its implications for sustainable energy production, garnered her significant recognition. In 2018, Smith was awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, an honor bestowed upon only 2,000 recipients nationwide. Read more about Charlyne Smith here.

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