Haley Taylor Schlitz has for a long time been representative of hashtags such as #BlackGreatness #BlackExcellence and #BlackGirlMagic
At just 13 she graduated high school, bagging acceptance into 17 universities, at age 16 Haley was accepted to SMU’s Dedman School of Law, as well as into 8 other law programs across the country, making national headlines once again.
After her high school graduation, Haley attended community college and graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Texas Woman’s University before enrolling in law school at 16.
Now, come May 13th, 2022 Haley Taylor Schlitz will rack up even bigger honors officially becoming the youngest American to graduate from law school at 19 years old.
No doubt, Haley’s accomplishment academically is all shades of inspiring and yes, definitely worth breaking international headlines.
Currently, a third-year law student at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in University Park, Texas, throughout her three years stay at Dedman School of Law, the inspiring Haley has well established herself as an “author, public speaker, and respected thought leader on the issues students of color face in navigating gifted and talented programs in public schools,” the press release stated.
Looking back, Taylor Schlitz credits her success to homeschooling.
In fifth grade, Taylor Schlitz’s parents noticed her losing interest in school. They asked for her to be tested as gifted, but were constantly turned down. This led to their decision to homeschool.
After paying to have their daughter privately tested, Taylor Schlitz was finally classified as a gifted student. Homeschooling allowed her to move faster than in a traditional school setting and offered more of a challenge. “It gave me the freedom to learn at my own speed,” says Taylor Schlitz. “Homeschool forced me to learn how to work from a syllabus, move forward and meet deadlines.”
For Taylor Schlitz, the biggest advantage of this system was time.
“I have the advantage of more time to actually do things I want to pursue. I don’t have to wait until 22 to go to law school. I will start law school at 16 and finish by 19. Time is a great thing to have more of.”
“Many girls and students of color are left out of our nation’s gifted and talented programs,” Taylor Schlitz said. “Society will lose out on the potential scientist who cures a major disease, the entrepreneur who starts the next Amazon, and so much more. All because of their gender and/or skin color.”
In 2019, Taylor Schlitz and her mother, Dr. Myiesha Taylor, decided to publish their book The Homeschool Alternative, which documents their experience as a homeschooling family and provides a how-to homeschool guide for Black families who want to explore beyond the traditional schooling system.
“I really want to help students realize their potential even if they can’t home-school,” Taylor Schlitz told the Dallas Morning News. “I want to help families open their eyes to the opportunities that they don’t even realize are there.”
Among her impressive strides, Taylor Schlitz serves as a mentor in the Young Scholar Program (YSP).
