We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amara Leggett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Amara, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

When I was in 8th grade, I attended a meeting about the relaunch of the Dual Enrollment program in Ohio. I was interested in the opportunity presented to me, so I enrolled in my first college classes during my freshman year of high school. I entered high school with 7 credits completed as a result of attending a STEM junior high school, which gave me a chance to select additional classes.

Eventually, I realized I could receive dual credit for my college classes and graduate from both institutions early. After 2 years of taking mostly college classes during the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters I received my Associate of Science degree 10 days after my high school diploma at 16 years old.

I started the Dual Enrollment Company to fill a need in a growing industry. The ability for students to take college classes in high school for free has existed for generations, often with different names. Now, every state and territory in the United States as well as other countries on every continent has their own version of a Dual Enrollment program.

We launched the company to support every program enacted with a focus on student success. It is one thing to start an initiative or program, it is another thing entirely for the intended audience to actually be successful in it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My first company, A Young Legend, was established when I launched my blog about graduating high school and college early. The blog was an avenue to share my story and it reached people all over the world. Once I officially received my high school diploma and college degree at 16, I found another way to share with public speaking.

In 2018, I delivered a TEDx Talk on how to develop a plan and make the impossible possible. Since then, I spoken at schools, conferences, and corporations and shared my story to people around the world. I also published “The Strategic Mind of A Young Legend”, which has inspired all ages to make the impossible possible by starting with a goal and working backwards.

I am most proud about the Dual Enrollment Company, which is an education company that creates content, digital tools, products, and services to help students graduate early and debt free with Dual Enrollment. Our most popular offerings is our Dual Enrollment Near You search engine for students to search Dual Enrollment in their country, state/province, and school, Dual Enrollment GPA Calculator, and The Dual Enrollment Planner. We are servicing the gaps in the program to ensure students are successful and maximize the benefits and opportunities. There are a handful of companies that specialize in Dual Enrollment, but we are the only company to focus on the students and address how Dual Enrollment can be found in the United States, Canada, The Bahamas, Morocco, India, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, etc. I am also proud of how the Dual Enrollment Company works with students and their families in addition to high schools, colleges, other Dual Enrollment focused organizations.

One lesson I hope people can see from my story is I’ve never let my age determine what I can do. Even with all the personal obstacles I had to address, I still made my dreams a priority.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

My academic journey impacted my the trajectory of my life. My biggest struggle was ensuring that I was able to receive my diploma and degree at 16.

A few weeks after I graduated, I was expected to move across the country and attend my new college for the upcoming semester. Everything had to be aligned including the credits needed to match up with the Associate of Science degree as well as the classes, credits, and volunteer hours to receive my high school diploma. During my last semester at my community college, I took the highest amount of college credits I had experience with to make sure I graduated on time.

While I received my Associate of Science degree for free, I did not receive any outside scholarships to use for my 4-year degree. I applied for scholarships while I was in high school and college and was never awarded any aid. I was surprised to find out that I did receive a small scholarship from donors who give to students at my 4-year university the month I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree. Most people also assume that I would have received a full ride due to my GPA and education accomplishments.

I’m grateful for my experience at both institution because I was able to learn the world of a free and paid college education. That allows me to better advise students and their families on how to navigate higher education when they don’t have the means to pay or would rather pursue an alternative path.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A few months before I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at 19 years old, I had to pivot my brand. In 2020 I launched the Dual Enrollment Company so my personal story wasn’t always attached the platform that students use to discover Dual Enrollment. People would have to know me to find out about how Dual Enrollment could help them.

Sometimes leaving a legacy means protecting the information that has no expiration date. Fortunately, the Dual Enrollment Company website gained our audience from organic Search Engine Optimization SEO) in addition to my A Young Legend website, YouTube videos, and my TEDx Talk.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ayounglegend.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.young.legend/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amaraleggett/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ4wpyfVUtuVJe95-XaTFvQ
• Other: https://www.dualenrollment.co/

Image Credits
Nadia Leggett