Originally published on ABC 10 on August 17, 2023
STOCKTON, Calif — A young scholar in Stockton graduated this June, proving she could do what others told her couldn’t be done.
At just 15 years old, Zaalyiah Giddens graduated with her high school diploma and has now begun a college career after taking the initiative to finish as soon as she could.
“I was told I couldn’t, that I can only graduate in 11th grade or a semester early in 12th grade,” said Giddens. “So I had the idea to graduate two years early, and I did just that.”
Using hybrid options to get ahead, Giddens managed to finish her four years’ worth of high school classes in just two years with dedication, persistence and support from her family.
“On the hard days where I didn’t want to get up to do the work, maybe a motivational conversation or just a check-in or something small like a hug, I think, was the biggest motivation,” said Giddens.
According to her mother, Victoria Webb-Giddens, the traditional school was moving too slowly for her, and once she found a virtual course partnered with a college to work with her, she was passing tests and courses in a fraction of the average time.
“She was finishing the classes in one to two days,” said Webb-Giddens. “A whole semester’s worth of courses in one to two days.”
Giddens dedication to reaching her educational goals even inspired her mother, who is now taking online college courses and getting her degree alongside her daughter.
“She put in so much effort, late nights, early mornings. Some days, she was up before me,” said Webb-Giddens. “She was committed, and when she went to graduation, everybody was shocked because she was the only 15-year-old while everyone else was 18 and 19 years old.”
Her mother also said she graduated from the National Honor Society as well as the National Junior Honor Society.
“I just didn’t want to be in high school the full four years,” said Giddens. “But I think the driving force really was just to set a high bar for achievements.”
Giddens is currently enrolled at Western Governors University where she has recently started working on getting her Bachelor’s in Business and IT Management while already looking ahead to her next goal of getting her masters. She said her dream is to start her own cybersecurity business.
To learn more about California Virtual Academies, visit https://cava.k12.com/.
