Rayana Holikova has done something extraordinary.
An Arkansas teenager graduated from college over the weekend at the tender age of 14.
Rayana Holikova started taking classes at Northwest Arkansas Community College when she was 11 and this weekend earned her diploma before most people her age start high school.
“The individualized, self-paced nature of this college is so incredibly important, and it taught me a lot about how to regulate my own study habits,” she told KHBS.
Holikova moved to Arkansas in August 2020 and started taking classes at the community college, according to reports.
She told KHBS that she was inspired by her younger brother, who has a genetic disorder.
“He was born when I was 7 years old, so I wasn’t quite old enough to grasp the realities of the condition he had. But as I got older and as my education progressed, I realized how much gravity his condition had. That inspired me to pursue a path that was consistent with what I was interested in as a child,” she added.
Graduating college wasn’t the only accolade and life achievement she gained this year — she also earned her high school diploma as well.
Holikova will continue her studies in neuroscience at Georgia Tech University in the fall.
“When I graduate college, I think it would be nice to know that there’s a whole community of people that are watching you grow and want you to succeed,” she told KHBS.
