ALBANY, NY (WTEN/CNN) - While most young teens are worried about middle or high school, there's one girl who's celebrating getting her college diploma.
"I want to (get) my masters in environmental engineering," said D.J. Tillman who is 12. "I do want to take a couple gap months."
But D.J. already has an associates degree under her belt.
"School wasn't just as fun anymore. It wasn't as fast paced," D.J. said.
On Friday, she walked into the commencement at Excelsior College to get her bachelor degree.
D.J. is short for Dorothy Jean.
Her mother Jemelita Tillman said this girl from the south side of Chicago is beating all the odds.
"There are some great things coming out of the south side of Chicago and this, my baby, is one of the greatest of them all," Tillman said.
"With environmental engineering it's all about helping people, the environment, and that's just what I love to do," DJ said.
But D.J. and her mother don't feel like she's missing out on being a child.
"It's not I just lock myself away from the world and do school all day. I still have friends and we go to the park and go to movies," she said.
"She still plays with bubbles," her mother said. "My child still loves to go on the swing. So when the question comes up, is she nervous, is she going to miss stop for high school, she's not even in the high school mind."
D.J.'s planning to get her masters degree in environmental engineering. Her mother, she said she hopes D.J. joins the Space Force.
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