Thessalonika A. Embry, 18, has already accomplished more than some people twice her age. At 14 she earned a bachelor’s in Psychology. At 16 she earned an MBA in Organizational Leadership. And on top of all of that, she’s working on a Black history-focused app for Apple and Google and is already a published author.

Oh, and she’s on track to earn her Ph.D. this fall in Business Psychology.  While she could surely go into any field she’d choose, Pschology spoke to her because, “it studies why we do what we do and that has spilled over in my dissertation.”

The Hyde Park Herald reports that Embry’s pursuit of a higher education was kickstarted when she would join in on discussions in her mother’s college classes as a toddler.

“When I was about four or five years old, I used to go to class with her, and I participated in the presentations,” Embry said. “We got approval from the instructors to allow me to sit in the class. I studied the textbook chapters with her.”

The academic prodigy later excelled on a placement exam and enrolled at College of Lake County before transferring to Chicago State University.

To date, Embry has self-published three books – entitled “Jump the Education Barrier,” “The Genius Race,” and “In the Future” –  that have sold over a combined total of 1 million copies. They mainly focus on using her own knowledge to show others of all ages how to excel both academically and professionally. She’s moved on from self-publishing and published even more works, including two books that came out this year entitled “Ready Writer: Go Get Your Bestselling Book” and “Really: The Realities of Real Estate.”

While it may be hard to imagine now given all that she’s done, the future is only going to be brighter for Embry as she embarks her journey into adulthood.