17-year-old earns college degree before graduating from high school

Seventeen-year-old NeeAli Scott recently achieved a commendable feat after she earned a college degree nearly a month before graduating from high school. In an interview with WJCL a few days before graduating from the Savannah Arts Academy, Scott said she “really just wanted to get as much education, a college education, as I can now for free.”

“In the state of Georgia, you get 30 credits free,” she explained. “So that’s already half of the associate’s degree.” Nearly a month before graduating from the Savannah Arts Academy, Scott earned an associate of science degree from Savannah State University.

“Savannah State didn’t offer some classes at the time (but) Georgia Southern did, so I took classes from there as well,” Scott said. Besides juggling high school and college, the 17-year-old also had multiple after-school endeavors.

“Then, usually, I would go to work at the Frank Callen Boys and Girls Club, and then after that, I would usually have a dance,” the 17-year-old said, adding that she aims to become a cardiothoracic surgeon.

“I would like to work in an inner-city hospital and give back to the youth here in Savannah or wherever I may end up,” Scott said. And though the 17-year-old stated she has yet to make up her mind on where to pursue her college education, she said her main choices are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). 

Scott’s mother, Sabriya Scott, also heaped praises on her daughter in an earlier post on Instagram. “Today my baby did her BIG one!! She’s OFFICIALLY a Savannah State University Graduate at 17 years old. She just graduated from College before graduating from High School,” she wrote alongside graduation photos of her daughter.

“I didn’t let all the odds that was stacked against my 2lb micro-preemie affect how I knew my GOD would work in her life. GOD DID just that and today NeeAli graduated from SSU with her Associate Of Science Degree! 🙌🏽 Congratulations NeeAli Scott for being an amazing kid!! We ❤️ you! Big thanks to my entire village and everyone that celebrated this milestone with her. ❤️”