Dorothy Jean “DJ” Tillman is far from your average 12-year-old as she just earned her Bachelor’s degree from Albany, New York’s Excelsior College on Friday, July 13.
“My child care provider, Miss Mary, first noticed, she said, ‘You got a special baby that you need to understand that this baby been here before,” ABC News 10 reports DJ’s mother Jimalita Tillman saying. “Dorothy, I believe, started doing double digits by four or three, and we were really excited about the way she loved learning.”
Back in May of 2016, at the age of 10, DJ completed her associates degree at the College of Lake County. Now she has her sights set on a masters in environmental engineering.
“With environmental engineering, it’s all about helping people, the environment, and that’s just what I love to do, that’s what makes me happy,” she said.
While DJ is moving full speed ahead in her academic career, she still takes time to just be a kid. Her mother explained: “She still plays with bubbles. My child still loves to go on the swing. So when the question comes up, is she nervous, is she going to miss stop for high school, she’s not even in the high school mind frame.”
DJ plans to take a “couple gap months” before pursuing her master’s degree, but for now she and her mother are basking in the milestone that she just accomplished, Jimalita sharing: “There are some great things coming out of the south side of Chicago and this, my baby, is one of the greatest of them all.”
Congratulations, Dorothy! We can’t wait to see what you’ll accomplish next.
