17-Year-Old Chicago Girl Graduates with Doctoral Degree: ‘The World Is My Oyster’

"I feel like that urge to learn something new just never didn't exist for me," Dr. Dorothy Jean Tillman said of her desire for education

A 17-year-old from Chicago has graduated from university after achieving an enormous accomplishment — obtaining her doctoral degree.

Dorothy Jean Tillman graduated from Arizona State University (ASU) on Monday, May 6, after earning her doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health, according to Good Morning America.

It’s the latest in a long line of educational achievements for the graduate, who started dual enrollment for high school courses at just 8-years-old before earning her associate’s degree in psychology from the College of Lake County at age 10 and her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Excelsior College at age 12.

Tillman, who can now be called Dr. Tillman, told GMA that her family, and in particular her grandmother who was “part of the Civil Rights movement” had encouraged her to gain knowledge and “harped on the importance of education and consistently learning something always.”

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However, she also noted that she herself had sought out achieving her own educational goals.

"But the way I always held education so high on my own, aside from being raised that way, was [by] finding different things to be educated about," she shared. "I feel like that urge to learn something new just never didn't exist for me."

Tillman earned her master’s degree at the age of 14, and a year later, was accepted into the Doctorate of Behavioral Health Management program at ASU. In December 2023, she successfully defended her dissertation to finally earn her doctorate’s degree — becoming the youngest person to do so at the school, per GMA.

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Dr. Lesley Manson, a clinical associate professor at ASU, who oversaw Tillman’s dissertation, described her to the outlet as "inquisitive" and "innovative," and noted that the student’s achievement at such a young age is a big one.

"It's a wonderful celebration ... but this is still something so rare and unique," Manson said. "She has innovative ideas and motivation, which is wonderful, and truly, I think what is inspiring is that she embodies that meaning of being a true leader."

As for what Tillman wants to do next, she told GMA that she’s still “figuring out what my specific dreams and goals are" just like “any other teenager."

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"I'm really just grateful that the world is my oyster, and that I've done so much so young," she added. "And I have time to kind of think that through."

The graduate also said that what she wanted people to take away from her story was that it is okay to continue to figure out what you want to while continuing your education goals.

"Figuring things out, not knowing what you want isn't a bad thing. But making the choice not to sit down and try to figure it out is," she said.

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