A Tarrant County College student who is making headlines for completing college and heading to law school at the age of 16 told her story nationally on Good Morning America.
Haley Taylor Schlitz is co-enrolled at TCC and Texas Woman’s University and will earn both her associate degree and bachelor degree in May. She will go on to Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law this fall. Taylor Schlitz spoke to Good Morning America about her education journey as a gifted student.
“I went to public school up until 5th grade, and then once I reached 5th grade my parents realized I wasn’t really motivated at school anymore,” Taylor Schlitz told Good Morning America. “My grades started to fall, and I started to become more worried about what my peers thought of me than my grades, so my parents decided to pull me out—that with another reason, that I couldn’t get into the gifted and talented program. Then they home schooled me, and home school is really where it helped me accelerate and go at my own pace.”
Taylor Schlitz graduated high school at age 13 and enrolled at TCC, which her parents supported for its outstanding faculty and affordable education. In 2017, she took the next step by enrolling at TWU. She was accepted at nine law schools before choosing SMU, which is close enough to allow her to live at home and commute.
Her father, William Schlitz, offered advice for parents on Good Morning America.
“I think when you have a child you have all these dreams of the path they’re going to take and where they’re going to graduate from, and the one thing that our family has learned from our children is that parents really have to be open to different opportunities, things like home school, early college, dual enrollment,” said Schlitz. “They should do what’s best for their children to let them thrive.”
Taylor Schlitz and her father traveled to New York for the broadcast.
“To describe the Good Morning America experience is difficult to put into words,” reflected Taylor Schlitz. “I loved it, and it was a huge honor. I really feel like my hard work is paying off.”
See the segment on the Good Morning America website. Read more about Taylor Schlitz in the recent TCC feature, “What’s stopping you? Student enrolls at TCC at 13, prepares for law school at 16.” She also has been profiled by Above the Law, Texas Lawyer and the American Bar Association Journal.