'Enjoy the ride': 12-year-old Megyn Bolen is attending Aiken Technical College
May 23—Megyn Bolen, who recently celebrated her 12th birthday, has just graduated from high school as a homeschooled student and is attending classes at Aiken Technical College. Her ultimate goal is to become an orthodontist.
Bolen said that she plans to earn her associates degree from Aiken Tech by May 2025. She has been taking Aiken Tech classes through the Early Start dual enrollment program since August 2023.
After Aiken Tech, she plans to receive a degree in public health from Lander University, earn her master's degree and then attend dental school. She is projected to be completed with all her educational pursuits by age 23, and possibly sooner, her mother said.
Bolen was placed on an accelerated learning schedule when she was 6. "We decided to try to do two grades a year. We figured at middle school it would have to slow down but I just kept going," Bolen said.
Bolen's mother, Amber, talked about her daughter's quick learning pace.
"It just seemed like the faster we moved, the faster she wanted to go," she said. "It just fed itself."
In her third semester at Aiken Tech, Bolen said her favorite part of being a college student is "seeing people's faces" when she tells them about her educational journey.
Bolen, who has a 4.0 grade point average and is on the dean's list at Aiken Tech, said that Western Civilization has been her most challenging college subject overall, while biology has been her favorite.
Amber talked about Bolen's non-traditional learning path, and how they deal with facing occasional criticism.
"We are different, and that's OK... there's nothing wrong with being different, but we also don't pass judgment on other people," she said. "It confuses me sometimes really when people do have negative things to say. It's hard for me to relate to that.
"She's still a kid, and I think people have sort of a preconceived notion that I'm going to put her in a suitcase and ship her off to a college and make her live a life with college students, and that's not what we're doing."
Amber said that her daughter interacts very little with her college-aged peers, as she is able to take classes fully online.
Her mother added that Bolen still finds time to do some of her favorite activities, like playing outside or with her American Girl dolls.
"It's still very much a childhood, just with an accelerated education," she said.
Bolen said she wants to be an orthodontist because she wants to help put children and other nervous patients at ease.
"I had a lot of teeth problems when I was little... every time that I would go to the dentist or orthodontist, I'd be nervous... so I just really want to help people," she said. "Plus, I'm very much a people person."
Bolen shared a message for other students around her age who are trying to find their path in school.
"Don't stress over it completely. Remember, you're still a kid," she said. "You've got time. Just enjoy the ride."
