Young, Gifted & Black Series
By Taki S. Raton
Thessalonika Embry
While reviewing select articles in preparation for this week’s YGB writing on our talented teen, I came across descriptions of her achievement as being “extraordinary” and “exceptional” and even “amazing”. But actually, her accomplishment has been the normative presentation in this series given such past features as Anne- Marie Imafidon who at 19 became in June 2010 the youngest ever to receive a combined Masters Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Oxford University (Courier, May 3, 2012) or Colorado Springs native Brittney Exline also at the age of 19 on May 16 who became the youngest engineer to graduate from UPENN; the youngest not just from UPENN but the youngest engineer in the country (Courier, March 23, 2013).
Just recently, on August 3, 2013, YGB covered the talents of Justus Williams who as of a June 20, 2012 posting, was listed as being among the top-ranked youth chess players in the world. Then in the March 1, 2013 YGB edition, there is Zora Ball, a 7 year-old student at the African Centered Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Charter School in Philadelphia who was included in the February 20, 2013 World Record Academy posting of the Guinness World Record as being the youngest person ever (Black, White or other) to create a full version of a mobile video game application.
And lastly to these samples, the very first YGB writing in this series on February 11, 2012 was the then 14 year-old Tony Hansberry II who as of June 16, 2009 developed a stitching technique that can be used to reduce surgical complications as well as minimizing the chance of error among less experienced surgeon’s.
At the time, Hansberry was a high school freshman at the Darnell-Cookman Middle/High School of the Medical Arts in Jacksonville, Florida.
In this week’s YGB, she is Young, Gifted, and Black. Thessalonika Arzo-Embry in her excellence and achievement mastery stands in good company in this YGB series as she will become on Friday, August 30, the youngest graduate at 14 years-old to receive a bachelor’s degree from Chicago State University.
According to a July 17, 2013 NEWSONE for Black America posting, our teen scholar was homeschooled by her mother, Wonder Embry, since the age of 8. Thessalonika credits Embry with her academic achievement.
As cited in the Milwaukee Community Journal on July 21, 2013:
“My mother is a strong inspiration to my success. She is a veteran of the United States Navy and when she finished her tour, she home-schooled my brother and I.”
Mother Embry adds that she was just doing the right thing for her children. “The parents are the most influential force in their own children’s lives, and they have the power to influence them to do good and to go forward,” she said.
Thessalonika actually started college at the age of 11. Her homeschooling continued until she was 11 at which time she successfully passed the high school diploma equivalency exam and enrolled into the College of Lake County to study psychology. While attending Lake County, she carried a 3.9 GPA and was a member of the College of Lake County Honors program where she served as student senator. She consistently maintained her 3.9 GPA throughout her college career.
Thessalonika and her mother are actually schoolmates at Chicago State University. The Embry family calls the Great Lake Naval Station home.
The July 23, 2013 Daily Herald shares that after their early rise, the senior teen and her mom pray and work on Bible studies followed by a workout at a local fitness center before starting their hour-and-ahalf commute from their home at the near North Chicago Naval base to Chicago State, located on the city’s South Side. Embry at Chicago State is a graduate student in clinical psychology.
During the commute, as cited in the July 23 article, the two study theory together and talk about their homework assignments. It is further revealed that she enjoys college even at such a young age and loves studying.
She spends the majority of her time outside of class reading, studying and working with other students. While her classmates, cites the Herald, are sometimes “surprised by her age,” she is not treated any differently particularly, as reported, she often helps them with their assignments. After classes, the family duo return home “and I study.” Her stint at Chicago State also included two consecutive year sessions of summer school classes. Thessalonika says of her campus years:
“My college experience is a traditional college experience for me – it is just that I have completed it faster. I am very excited about joining others in having the opportunity to contribute to society in a very significant way.”
Her interest in college goes far beyond the cerebral. The grad-to-be has a vision and goal to help people through a clinic she hopes to establish with her mother and her brother Jeremy.
“I’ve always wanted to help others. So when I begin to think about a profession, I choose one where I help others and make an impact.”
Jeremy also attended Chicago State at an early age. Mother Embry in a Fox 32 NEWS report of July 25, 2013 says that her children “have a wonderful social life” and that their selection of friends “are usually those who have goals, visions and they’re moving forward.”
She underscores the point that Thessalonika and Jeremy’s selection of friends and acquaintances do not include those who are “on the wrong track.” Embry further and strongly believes that home-schooling her children have helped them achieve their early success.
Professor Kathryn Rogalski, Associate Dean of Social Sciences at the College of Lake County, taught Thessalonika in an introductory course and shared advisory guidance in her early college years. In a telephone interview, Professor Rogalski said that she could see from the beginning that young Thessalonika was very serious and focused about her studies and that her family was very supportive:
“Her family worked as a team and whenever I met with Thessalonika to discuss her academics, her father, mother, and brother would all come with her.” Rogalski adds that the young scholar took full advantage of the offerings and services at the College of Lake County.
“My biggest take-away from working with her is the importance of family,” says Rogalski in the Daily Herald.
Upon her highly anticipated graduation from Chicago State, Thessalonika plans to continue her studies on the graduate level in clinical psychology at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, a private college in North Chicago, or at Stanford University in Stanford, California.
As if an echo to the Rogalski comment, Britt L. in the Westside Gazette’s closing remarks of a Thessalonika writing notes that her story “reminds us that with hard work, family support and faith, you can do practically anything.
Your age doesn’t define your intelligence or abilities.
Never underestimate your potential.”