An exceptional 16-year-old girl named Hana Taylor Schlitz has commenced her PhD studies at Texas Woman’s University, United States.
Hana showed great exceptionalism after achieving a bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the young age of 16 before enrolling for a PhD. This feat made her the youngest known person to earn a degree from her university – Texas Woman’s University.
Her journey to PhD is very inspiring, she was born in 2008 in a remote village in Southern Ethiopia. Her mother who had been diagnosed with Tuberculosis at the time of her birth succumbed to her ailment and died shortly after her birth.
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The young Hana, now without a mother, was later adopted at 10 months old by William Schlitz and Dr. Myiesha Taylor who brought her to the United States.
Shortly after arrival to the United States, Hana was also diagnosed with Tuberculosis, the ailment that took her biological mother from her. Dr Myiesha Taylor, her mother, who happens to be an emergency medicine physician ensured she received the care necessary for her to survive and thrive.
In her words, she said: “I am incredibly fortunate to have been adopted by a family not only filled with love but also equipped to fight the disease that claimed my biological mother. My mother, Dr. Myiesha Taylor, an emergency medicine physician, ensured that I received the care necessary to not only survive but also to thrive.”
After overcoming the disease, Hana began to thrive excellently. She was homeschooled, and after completing high school she enrolled at Tarrant Community College and later transferred to Texas Woman’s University (TWU) for her undergraduate studies.
Hana enrolled for a bachelor’s degree in sociology and as a young student, she was inducted into four different honors organizations, including Phi Beta Kappa and the National Society of Leadership and Success.
She later graduated from the university at just 16 years old.
In her essay published by Newsweek, Hana emphasised that she is committed to advocate for those who are still caught in the relentless cycle of this preventable disease including Tuberculosis which she battled.
“I am acutely aware that my story is the exception rather than the rule. It reinforces my commitment to advocate for those who are still caught in the relentless cycle of this preventable disease.” she stated.
Hana enrolled and was accepted for a PhD in Sociology at TWU. Knowing the devastating effects tuberculosis can have on developing countries, Hana said she wants to pursue a career aimed at ending Tuberculosis’s grip on communities, such as the one in which she was born.
“I often find myself pondering the fate of countless children who, unlike me, do not escape the grip of TB. How many potential Nelson Mandelas, Albert Einsteins, Marie Curies, or Malala Yousafzai have been lost to a disease that we have the means to treat and prevent? Such thoughts are a somber reminder of the harsh realities faced by many around the world,” she said in her essay.
“This commitment influenced my decision to pursue a PhD in sociology, a field that provides a lens to examine the complex interactions between society, health, and disease—interactions I have personally lived through,” she added.
Hana comes from a family of brilliant minds. Her elder sister, Haley, set a record as the youngest person in United States history to earn a law degree at age 19. Her older brother, Ian, earned his master’s degree at just 17 years old.
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