Community Corner

Simsbury Student Who Entered College at 13 Graduates

18-year-old Alexandria Garry started work on her associate's degree while her peers were entering high school.

Getting an associate’s degree is a logical first step for many young students who are looking for the right fit before committing to an undergraduate major. For one Simsbury student, this step was taken when she was just 13-years-old.

Today, 18-year-old Alexandria Garry, or “Alie,” will join her classmates at the 2012 Tunxis Community College commencement ready to graduate with an associate's degree in science. Garry signed up for her first college course when her peers were entering high school.

Garry began an alternate path in education beginning in fourth grade when her parents, Charlie and Lynn Garry, decided a home school education was the best fit for her.

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While her parents were her primary teachers, her family joined a group of other home school families in the area to participate in the experience.

“That was really, really important because I got the social aspect and got to hang around people my own age,” Garry said.

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When she was ready to begin the ninth grade, Garry decided she would attend Simsbury High School. Before taking a step back into public education, the young student decided to take a prerequisite algebra course at Tunxis Community College to prepare her for the school environment.

While taking the course, Garry was inspired by her teacher, Hendree Milward, and decided to continue her studies at Tunxis.

“He was one of those teachers that you’ll remember forever, and I decided to stay,” Garry said.

In the spring of 2008 she signed up for three more classes, and by the fall she was ready for full time.

Entering college life as a younger-than-average student wasn’t as difficult as she first thought.

“At first I was able to get by under the radar,” Garry said.

But as she became more involved in her courses and with fellow students, she found it difficult to keep her age a secret.

“Eventually you have to explain why you can’t make it that day because I have to wait for my mom to pick me up,” Garry said.

In her second semester she met other young students who were homeschooled before attending college. She joined the Tunxis Sun student newspaper and became involved with student government. Garry is also a member of the Tunxis chapter of Phi Theta Kappa honor society and Celebration of Womanhood Club. Outside of school she is a coach for the Connecticut Mirage Fastpitch Softball, a travel softball league.

With the exception of a few well-intentioned jokes about not being able to drive, Garry said she quickly felt accepted and supported by her fellow students.

After taking a new media communications course offered at the school, Garry discovered a passion for new media and journalism.

“I decided that this was what I wanted to do for a living,” Garry said.

This semester she took an internship with the Afghan Women’s Writing Project coordinating the non-profit organization’s social media outreach.  Garry works to increase visibility and reach through platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and she’s working to incorporate other platforms like Tumblr and Flickr.

Garry is also working to coordinate a video campaign by encouraging social media followers to submit videos to the website.

“It’s an amazing learning experience. Once you start reading the stories, you get really interested in these women,” Garry said.

This fall, Garry will begin her coursework towards a degree in journalism from the University of Connecticut as a sophomore. She hopes to establish a career in social media marketing for either a non-profit organization or possibly a political campaign.

“Of course, I’m only 18 and who knows what’s going to happen five years from now.”


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