15-year-old graduates from high school and community college on the same day

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - LeAnna Roberts isn’t just smart. She is laser focused. That enabled her to graduate from high school and junior college before she’s legally old enough to drive a car by herself.

Roberts posed for pictures with loved ones minutes before her first graduation ceremony Friday.

“At the time, I didn’t know Id be graduating today. But my hard work is paying off,” she told WBRC. The 15 year-old graduated from Shelton State Community College at 11am and Tuscaloosa’s Central High School several hours later. All of this is the result of hard work and a plan she worked to perfection.

“It’s important for me to get a jump start because I know what I want to do in my life,” she continued. Roberts enrolled in a dual enrollment program at the age of 13 during her ninth-grade year that allowed her to take classes at Central High School and Shelton State at the same time.

A crowd cheered her on for graduating from both schools in just two years.

“I cheered. I played tennis. I held different leadership positions throughout school so if there’s a basketball game that might not start until seven, I would come home have to do my homework and Shelton homework. So it was a lot balancing and managing my time,” Roberts added.

She starts college at the University of Alabama in less than two weeks. The new graduate wants to major in pre-med and get a masters in business administration while on her way to becoming an orthopedic surgeon.