From Teen Scene Magazine:
http://www.teenscenemag.com/sections/reallife/reality/intellect.php
Reality - Lauren Betancourt: Not Your Average College Graduate
Lauren Betancourt is not your average college graduate. She is not able to vote, go to the bars or even officially be called an adult yet. That's because Lauren entered college at the age of 13 and graduated at 16 years old from The University of Hartford with a Bachelor of Science in Biology Degree.
Lauren went to high school orientation, but wasn't excited about attending. While on her way home, Lauren said to her mom, "Wouldn't it be cool if I could just skip high school?" Lauren and her mom looked into it. Lauren had to take 5 CLEP tests which are tests that students of any age can take to demonstrate college-level achievement through a program of exams in undergraduate college courses. She also had to meet with the board of professors from the college so they could ask her questions and see if she was mature enough to interact with the other students. Her hard work paid off and she was off to college.
While attending college Lauren said that she didn't really tell anyone her age, unless they asked. But most people just assumed she was your average 18 year old college student. She explains that most of the time, her age did not change her friendship with the other students. Lauren surrounded herself with people who liked her for her and those were her true friends.
College was exactly what Lauren expected. She went to college to have more opportunities to learn and have a lot more freedom. She got to learn what she wanted, when she wanted and made some lifelong friends. Lauren was entering a world of adults even though she was only 13 years old. Many people told her that she'd never get into college, let alone make it as a college student. But she proved them wrong and accomplished everything they said she wouldn't.
Now that Lauren has graduated college, there is much more in store for her. She would like to get her Masters Degree in the future. But right now, she is taking a break from academics to dance. Lauren has been dancing since she was three years old and now she has the time to pursue it. Lauren states, "Dance is my passion and I am a strong believer in doing what you're passionate about." Lauren wants to pursue a professional career in dance right now and when she is older, go to graduate school.
Besides dance, Lauren keeps busy with a numerous amount of things. She has her own web design business. She also tutors high school kids and just finished teaching a Biology Laboratory Section at the University. She also just started an education site that she hopes will help people research all types of education. For more information, please check out, www.extremeintellect.com.
Lauren's mom spent many hours in the car, either driving or waiting for Lauren during college, that she had to entertain herself somehow. She started taking down a lot of notes about what Lauren did in school and how she was feeling. Lauren and her mom decided to write a book and share their knowledge about her experiences in college. They found that people were asking the same questions over and over again so they put a book together answering them from both their points of view. Lauren hopes her book will inspire people everywhere to follow their dreams and never give up, no matter how unachievable they seem. Lauren says, "Everyone can do what I have done. I was never singled out as "gifted" by school officials. I was not chosen by anyone to skip ahead. I wanted to skip school and my mom was cool with it so we figured out how to do it. I hope my book will give a clearer picture of what accelerated kids are like." She also wants to inspire kids who have been told that they're not good at something. Just because someone else doesn't see your potential, doesn't mean you don't have it. The book will also help kids who may not want to skip high school, but may want to skip a year or two, or finish college early.
If Lauren could go back and do it again, she would skip high school again and go to college. Lauren says she has an extra 5 years now to concentrate on other things like dancing. Lauren also adds that her college experience has made her into exactly the person she wants to be, and she wouldn't change that for the world. Following her dreams has changed her life and she hopes that you follow yours as well.
- Kelly Kurowski, Associate Editor
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My children entered college at the ages of 13, 12, and 13. Age wasn’t an issue. Few of the students or teachers even knew they were as young as they were. They just assumed they were 18.