Conway teen earns associate degree at 16

CONWAY, Ark. – A Conway teenager has hit a milestone in higher education before even turning 17.

Rebekah Pendergraft started taking college courses the summer before her freshman year of high school, leading to her earning an associate degree at just 16 years old.

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Pendergraft said the homeschool schedule gave her the flexibility to tackle new challenges and fight for the top spot on the family tree.

“I always kind of wanted to be better than them and do other things that they hadn’t done,” Pendergraft said.

She said part of her passion to succeed has been fueled by friendly competition with her two older brothers. Both finished their associate degrees by the time they were 18.

Pendergraft said it was always her wish to do the same but faster.

“I got my degree in December, and that was me halfway through my sophomore year, as a 16-year-old,” Pendergraft said. “I was like I had it as a 16-year-old, my brothers had it when they were 17, 18.”

Her mother Kim Pendergraft said the competition is all in good fun, but at the end of the day, everyone is a winner.

“It’s important for my kids to get a good education, for them to learn a little bit about a lot of things, and then explore in high school what they would like to peruse later on,” she said.

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Kim Pendergraft has homeschooled her three kids since pre-school. She said she started looking into higher education when the boys were just 14.

“They started one class at a time, and then two, and then three,” Kim Pendergraft said.

Pendergraft said she is proud of all of her children for putting in the hard work.

Along with school, Rebekah is also a musician. She plays piano and is in the Conway High School orchestra. She is also on the swim and dive team and competes in triathlons.

Rebekah makes it look easy, but said it took a lot of hard work and determination. She’s hoping her story will inspire other kids her age to reach for the stars.

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She said she has her eyes set on her bachelor’s degree and hopes to major in Psychology.

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