KarunaNews Story

When Dorothy Jean Tillman II successfully defended her dissertation in November 2023 at 17, she became the youngest person to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health from Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions. Her thesis was on developing programs to reduce the stigma for college students seeking mental health services. DJ, as family and friends call her, was home-schooled early on. While most 9-year-olds were learning math and reading, she was starting college online. At 10, she earned her associate degree in psychology at the College of Lake County in Illinois. At 12, she received her Bachelor of Science in humanities at Excelsior College in New York, and at 14, a Master of Science from Unity College in Maine.