17-Year-Old Dorothy Jean Tillman Earns Her Doctorate
Excelsior University alum Dorothy Jean Tillman recently received her Doctor of Behavioral Health at Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions. Her dissertation research focused on the impact of implementing an outreach and education program aimed at reducing the stigma associated with using campus mental health services among college-aged students. Tillman made national headlines by being the youngest person to ever graduate from the program.
Tillman, who is from Chicago, Ill., started her higher education journey at age 10, earning her associate degree from the College of Lake County in Grayes Lake, Ill.. She became Excelsior’s youngest graduate in 2018, earning her Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts when she was 12 years old before continuing to earn a master’s degree from Unity College in Unity, Maine at age 14. Tillman is the founder and CEO of the Dorothy Jeanius STEAM Leadership Institute, which creates pathways for underrepresented students to succeed in fields related to science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
“My Excelsior experience was inclusive and supportive,” said Tillman. “Access to my instructors was always at the tip my fingers. The standard of learning was innovative and provided context for making global impact on humanity.”
To read more about Tillman, visit:
https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2023/12/26/24007802/dorothy-jeanius-tillman-ph-d-17-years-old-teen-mental-health
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/22/us/dorothy-jean-tillman-chicago.html
https://www.yahoo.com/news/she-earned-her-first-college-100000187.html
