In an extraordinary feat of academic acceleration, Chicago teen Dr. Dorothy Jean Tillman II has made history by earning her doctoral degree at the astonishing age of 17. Tillman, affectionately nicknamed “Dorothy Jeanius,” began her collegiate journey at just 10 years old, setting an academic pace few can rival.
Tillman successfully defended her dissertation to earn a Doctorate in Integrated Behavioral Health from Arizona State University (ASU). This achievement makes her one of the youngest people in the country to receive a doctoral degree.
Her educational path is a series of milestones:
- Age 10: Earned her Associate’s Degree in Psychology from the College of Lake County, Illinois.
- Age 12: Received her Bachelor of Science in Humanities from Excelsior College.
- Age 14: Completed her Master of Science from Unity College.
- Age 15: Was accepted into ASU’s doctoral program.
Tillman, whose research focused on developing programs to reduce the stigma for college students seeking mental health services, credits her family—especially her mother and her civil rights activist grandmother, also named Dorothy Tillman—for her success.
Beyond her academic achievements, Dr. Tillman is the founder and CEO of the DorothyJeanius STEAM Leadership Institute, which inspires underserved youth in Chicago and abroad to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
“I’m really just grateful that the world is my oyster, and that I’ve done so much so young,” Dr. Tillman said, expressing her intention to now focus on expanding her institute and applying her studies in integrated behavioral health to her work. Her story serves as a powerful inspiration, demonstrating that age is truly just a number when it comes to dedication and intellectual drive.
