WTC Welcomes 15-Year-Old Wunderkind

Her mother named her “Diamond” because she wanted her to shine, and Diamond Turner is certainly living up to her mother’s dream.

The 15-year-old Kingstree Senior High School 12^th grader is dually enrolled this fall in two university transfer courses at Williamsburg Technical College in addition to her traditional high school courses and an internship she will soon begin with The News in Kingstree.  Turner says the college classes -- western civilization and art history -- offer her a “different experience” from her high school classes. 

“I started to read when I was three,” the St. Mark resident says.  “I was just sitting in a high chair and I remember reading the word ‘menu’.” It was at that early age that Turner’s mother Jerrie Johnson enrolled her in preschool. She was soon promoted to child development and on to five-year-old kindergarten while still only three years old.

“I never really skipped a grade once I started,” she says, speaking of the fact that she continued to advance in her classes two years ahead of her counterparts.  When asked if she ever gets questioned by her peers about her motivation, she smiles.  “Even people who have seen me progress ask me how I do it,” she says.  “I have a desire to go as far as I can possibly.” She fears that many kids her age will look back 20 years from now and wonder why they goofed off when the could have made a more solid path for themselves.

In 1999, Williamsburg Technical College welcomed an even younger college student when then-14-year-old Bart Snyder enrolled after completing all of the courses he could take as a home-schooled high school student. Snyder graduated from Williamsburg Technical College with high honors in the associate in science degree program and transferred to Clemson University, then to Francis Marion University.  Snyder is currently working on his PhD in astro and computational physics at Clemson and has been offered a job in governmental research out-of-state.

Turner’s ultimate goal is to major in psychology and go into that field of work.  Her immediate goals, however, include finishing high school while continuing to rack up college credits at Williamsburg Technical College. She ultimately plans to transfer her WTC credits to a four-year institution that provides “small class size and diversity.”

With her level-headed approach to success and her determination to follow through with her well-laid plans, Diamond Turner is sure to, indeed, shine as brightly as her namesake.