Lake County Girl, 16, Earns Master's Degree, Plans to Pursue Doctorate

At an age when most teens are starting to think about life after high school, 16-year-old Thessalonika Arzu-Embry of the North Chicago area earned her master’s degree this past Saturday, the Daily Herald reports.

She received her master’s degree in strategic foresight and organizational leadership through an online program offered by Regent University in Virginia Beach with plans now to pursue a doctorate focused on aviation psychology, according to the article.

The local girl began her studies at the age of 4 and was home-schooled up until she graduated from high school at the age of 11, the newspaper reports.

She started her undergraduate studies at the College of Lake County before moving on to Chicago State University and then finishing at Thomas Edison State College in New Jersey, receiving her bachelor’s degree in psychology, according to the Daily Herald.

Arzu-Embry grew up around planes -- her father is a military veteran, a private pilot and now works as a manager at O’Hare International Airport. She hopes to get her doctorate in aviation psychology to prevent “human factor errors” and the kinds of problems that lead to plane crashes, according to the Daily Herald.

Read more about Arzu-Embry and her future plans in today’s Daily Herald article.