Fort Worth 16-year-old receives psychology degree from Texas A&M

Noel Jett, 16, received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Texas A&M University on Saturday. Noel Jett, 16, received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Texas A&M University on Saturday. Photo: Texas A&M 2014 Photo: Texas A&M 2014 Image 1 of / 36 Caption Close Fort Worth 16-year-old receives psychology degree from Texas A&M 1 / 36 Back to Gallery

Before a 16-year-old Fort Worth girl goes back to college to work toward her Ph.D., she is looking to briefly go back to a normal teenage life after earning her college degree Saturday from Texas A&M University.

“I’m going to be sleeping for the most part,” Noel Jett told the Star-Telegram. “I should also focus on learning how to drive.”

Jett, from Fort Worth, finished her studies at the College Station school’s College of Liberal Arts and received her bachelor’s degree in psychology during a commencement ceremony Saturday at Reed Arena. She was one of more than 8,700 students at the school who received a college degree across the school.

Once the summer's over, Jett will be start work on Ph.D. studies in gifted and talented educational psychology at the University of North Texas in Denton.

RELATED: Texas A&M University System regents name new TAMUSA president

Jett said she blended in at Texas A&M, but her early college run was a bit different.

“In community college, I was 13 and 14 and I still had braces,” she told the Star-Telegram.

Her braces were off by the time she reached Texas A&M, and her age became less of an issue for others.

“People care less and were a little bit more respectful,” she said.

She transferred to A&M at 14, and took classes during the fall, spring and summer semesters with few breaks in between, according to the Star-Telegram.

RELATED: A&M surpassing UT in Texas football fan base

Her parents, Alan and Nancy Shastid, told the Fort Worth newspaper that they noticed Jett excelled at learning from a young age. She had started reading chapter books in kindergarten, while other students were learning letters.

They started home-schooling her since they thought she would get bored with the schoolwork if she wasn’t challenged. She was learning six years of curriculum in one year, Nancy Shastid told the Star-Telegram, with their daughter learning fifth-grade algebra during kindergarten.

By the age of 8, Jett was learning algebra and placed in the 99.9th percentile on IQ tests, her mother said.

Jett is looking forward to a break this summer.

Click through the slideshow above to see photos of famous Aggies in history.

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite