A Black College Student on the Fast Track to Success

Cary Wallace of La Place, Louisiana, is a 17-year-old student who recently graduated from high school. This fall he will enroll at Xavier University, the historically black educational institution in New Orleans. But unlike other entering students, Wallace will enroll as a junior.

During high school Wallace took Advanced Placement courses to earn college credits. He also took college courses online. Additional college classes were taken by Wallace during the summer and on weekends.

Wallace applied to 14 colleges and received offers of full tuition scholarships from 11 of them. He chose Xavier because of its excellent program in pharmacology. He plans to finish college in two years with a major in biology. He will take courses during the summer working toward a master’s degree in business management. Wallace then hopes to enroll in the doctoral program in pharmacology at the Tulane University medical school. If all goes according to plan, he will earn his Ph.D. at age 23.

Copyright © 2007. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.