CLEVELAND — At 14 years old, most teens are years away from graduation, and many are just beginning to think about what comes next. That's not the case, however, for 14-year-old Anita Bennett.
The freshman of Ohio Connections Academy, an online program, walked the stage Friday afternoon—but she didn't receive her high school diploma. Anita received her associate of science degree from Cuyahoga Community College.
Anita is part of the state's dual enrollment program College Credit Plus where she takes high school and college credit courses. Her schooling earned her an associate degree on Friday, but it wasn't even her first.
"I already have my associate of arts and associate technical studies in child care, administration and management," Anita said.
The accomplishments run in the family. Anita's oldest sister Angel started college courses when she was 13, and her other sister Amber began when she was 11.
Education is vital to Anita and her entire family, and that has inspired Anita to set the bar high for herself.
"When you don't know about college, that kind of stuff, it can seem really, really hard, and it could seem impossible at times. But just knowing that if you put your mind to it, you can do it and that the sky's the limit and you create your own boundaries," she said.
During Friday's commencement ceremony, Tri-C President Dr. Michael A. Baston spoke to the graduates and even had a special recognition for Anita during the ceremony.
The end goal for Anita: take over her mother's business, a five-star licensed home childcare service.
"Seeing my mother and how hard she worked and how she got her business running and how successful it was really inspired me to go to that field as well. And I've always had a passion and a love for children, so I knew I wanted to do something like that with my life," Anita said. "So seeing her already have a successful business, it only makes sense to me to take over that when I get older since I wanted to work in the childcare industry as well."
Friday's graduation was a milestone for Anita, but certainly not her ceiling. The 14-year-old ends her first year of high school with three college degrees and her sights set on even more significant accomplishments.
"I should have four degrees by the time I'm done with high school because I'm going to start working on my bachelor's degree starting in August of this year. So by the time I'm done with high school, I should have that as well," Anita said.
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