Salenah Cartier, 18, Becomes The University of Houston’s Youngest Graduate
Congratulations to Salenah Cartier, who became the University of Houston’s youngest graduate!
After earning a degree in psychology and business at only 17 years old, Cartier has become the University of Houston’s youngest graduate for the second year in a row. She just received a master’s degree in education in curriculum and instruction.
“When I began my graduate education, I really had no idea what to expect. I just knew that I was up for the challenge. I actually recall being told that my plan of completing a two-year program in a single year beginning in the Spring semester was insane and simply wasn’t possible (which would have been true if I didn’t take 5 courses during my first semester). Well, not only was I able to achieve my goal, I was able to obtain and maintain a 4.0 GPA,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
Cartier started reading at the age of two and was able to complete math problems on her own at the age of three, according to Black Enterprise. The 18-year-old credits her mother for supporting her academic endeavors. After facing bullying from her peers, she started being homeschooled in the sixth grade, as reported by AfroTech. She later graduated high school at the age of 14.
“For a very long time, I put a lot of those experiences out of my memory. I just wanted to move forward, forget about it, and leave it in the past. I often wondered “why me?” Why was I always being picked on? Why did I have to switch schools? But, looking back I understand why it was me. Sometimes you have to go through experiences to build perspective and character. I can truly say that those terrible experiences pushed me to always work the hardest, always seek new ventures, and to always remain grateful for what I currently have. Everyone told me that things would get better eventually, and I never believed them. Well, thankfully, I was wrong. ❤️📈”, she wrote on Instagram.
Cartier also shared that none of her classmates knew her age when she first enrolled at the University of Houston. “No one knew how old I was,” she said in an interview with ABC13. “So I was able to blend in. I made quite a few friends. I believe my college experience was pretty normal actually.”
Congratulations to Salenah Cartier for graduating and showing that the only competition you should have is with yourself.