A few years ago, the world had the opportunity to be introduced to and fall in love with a then 14-year-old whiz kid from Great Lakes, Ill., who was on her way to college. Now at 17 years old, Thessalonika Azru-Embry is officially a Ph.D. candidate, and we couldn't be more proud!

Azru-Embry was home-schooled and started her post-secondary education at merely 11 years old; she entered her Ph.D. program in aviation psychology just last year and is now a doctoral candidate.

“When I began to think about a profession, I chose one where I could make an impact,” she told Black Doctor. “I feel honored for the opportunity to help others at an early age. I feel very glad to enter college and help people.”

Azru-Embry's interest in aviation stemmed from being around her father's job as a manager at O’Hare International Airport. “I grew up around airplanes; we took flights all the time.”

The teen is currently writing her dissertation on dreams. She believes dreams to be an interesting way to analyze what’s presently happening in people's lives.

Once she completes her Ph.D., Azru-Embry hopes to gain and use knowledge that is useful for aviation companies so they may reduce “human factor errors” that cause plane crashes.

We are so proud of this charismatic young scholar and are excited to witness her continued growth and success!  Keep making us all proud!