Autum Shante is not your typical 13-year old. She’s a poet with a high IQ who has mastered three different languages, has a strong sense of her culture and is headed to college this fall. Shante is going to be a Freshman at The University of Connecticut after being home schooled by her parents.

Her father, Ben, was able to put all of his time into educating his daughter. He’d retired early and also worked with teachers in the community to ensure that his daughter had access to a high quality education.

“What she’s doing is groundbreaking but this is not about vanity,” he said. “It’s about setting the tone for other black and Latino children who will come behind her. They’re always being told they are underachievers. We want to show this can be done.“

The Shante family isn’t just shining the light on themselves for personal reasons, they want to make it clear that their daughter is an example for all to see the potential of their own children. They fully expect their child to serve as a role model to African American and Latino children everywhere. Well, from first glance, it appears that this young lady can also provide a good example for many adults as well.