Jomi, one of our readers, wrote to us saying: “I want to encourage you to include a young lady who was homeschooled and with the help of dual enrollment, graduated with a degree, went on to college and graduated again at age 19. She now has a business helping others learn to wisely use and navigate dual enrollment. Her name is Amara.”
Thanks for the tip, Jomi! Here you go…
About Amara Leggett
Do you admire groundbreaking scientists, visionary artists, and great leaders – but wonder how you too might be able to make an impact on the world? Amara Leggett figured that out at an early age. At just 13 years old, when most girls are dreaming of becoming a social media star, she dreamed of building a legacy.
“We started talking college in third grade,” said Amara’s mother Nadia. “I just wanted to expose her to the things that I was never exposed to. I told her to write out her goals … It’s always been my philosophy that the standards we set for our kids are usually lower than what they can accomplish.”
Amara Leggett, also known as “A Young Legend,” is the teen author of The Strategic Mind of a Young Legend. Her book is a powerful guide to starting a business, building a brand, and achieving a successful career early. Amara, now 20, is an experienced public speaker, college graduate, and entrepreneur who has owned and managed a business for over three years. She is a prime example of someone who started from the ground up with nothing but 99 cents and an obsession for business.
Amara found a way to ignite her passion for advocacy with the support of a great mentor who happened to also be her mother. A Realtor and Photographer, Nadia Leggett told The Columbus Dispatch that her daughter “sets her eyes on something and she keeps going. She’s always been like that.”
Amara started her tech journey in 8th grade when she taught herself seven computer programming languages with the help of Codecademy. She developed her own version of Cookie Clicker, and developed the game of Hangman using Python. She took her first college class at 14 years old with the help of dual enrollment. In Ohio where she grew up, the program is called College Credit Plus. She planned from the beginning of ninth grade to replace as many high school classes with college courses as possible.
Writing on how to hack high school, Amara wrote: “The best hack that has been around for a long time is homeschooling. It is self-paced, flexible, and can go on for as long as you want. I went to college year round to graduate early… You can enroll in more classes than normal during the school year in addition to taking full-time high school classes during the summer.”
Amara was able to knock several years off of her education and she saved thousands of dollars on college using Ohio’s College Credit Plus dual-enrollment program. At age 16, Amara graduated from both high school and Columbus State Community College within ten days of each other. Then, she took two semesters off (summer and fall) to complete a marketing internship, launch her book, and travel the country speaking. She delivered her first TEDx Talk at age 17, and that’s when she also started her first company. “I truly enjoyed the vacation from college to pursue entrepreneurship at 17 years old,” she said.
Amara received her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a specialization in Information Assurance at age 19 in December of 2020. She discovered her interest in cybersecurity after having the chance to shadow the Security Assurance team at one of her internships. Amara was a member of the Computer & Hacking Club at Saint Leo University in Florida. She still loves to work on coding projects, and continues to expand her cybersecurity knowledge, when she’s not busy wearing her CEO hat.
Amara is the owner of A Young Legend, her first company, where she works as a coach for professionals seeking to successfully build and monetize their brand (personal or business). She is also the CEO of the Dual Enrollment Company, which helps students graduate early and debt-free with dual enrollment by providing the content, tools, and products for them to succeed. In addition, Amara is on the Board of Directors for The Happy Organization, Inclusion & Diversity Council Member for Guardian Life Insurance, and Advisory Board Member for Together Digital.
Starting with her TEDx Talk on how to develop a strategic plan and make the impossible possible, Amara speaks on the topics of Dual Enrollment, Personal Branding, and Generation Z insights for conferences, schools, universities, and corporations. She travels the country telling others how to achieve what may seem beyond the bounds of possibility. Her personal story of countless setbacks while setting exceedingly elevated goals, which led to her early accomplishments, truly embodies Amara’s commitment to serving a greater purpose and leaving a legacy for future generations.
The Strategic Mind of a Young Legend
Amara Leggett is a role model defying the stereotypes set before she was born, which propelled her motivation to success in higher education and business. A Young Legend was born when Amara decided she wanted to live a life that would leave a legacy.
Amara’s book, The Strategic Mind of a Young Legend, is the story of her trials and tribulations that all led to her success before she turned 18. From a 17-year-old TEDx speaker to an entrepreneur of multiple businesses, Leggett shares her journey from dreaming of building a legacy at 13 years old to building a business as a teenage CEO.
This book is an inspirational one for anyone who dreams of building a successful life and desires to leave an impact in their community and country. Amara is thrilled to tell her story of how she achieved the impossible as a teen business owner, motivational speaker, blogger, mentor and goals coach.
Now, more than ever, it is imperative that young people develop a personal brand to build a career or business. The Strategic Mind of A Young Legend is a step-by-step handbook from legacy expert Amara, who constructed a brand around becoming A Young Legend. Inside her book you will find foolproof tactics to skyrocket your influence by defining your own unique story and value proposition.
The Strategic Mind of A Young Legend can guide you through how to build a successful career by starting from nothing. In her book, Amara reveals:
- How to graduate high school and college early with dual enrollment
- How to build a personal brand and monetize your network
- How to start a business from the ground up
You will also find exclusive content with an actionable manual to help jump-start your career and personal brand. Amara shows that everyone has the potential for greatness whether you change the world or mentor someone who does.
Dual Enrollment Co.
In addition to being A Young Legend, Amara is a dual enrollment strategist dedicated to helping other students graduate early and save thousands of dollars. She launched her Dual Enrollment Company with products, services, and tools to assist high school students so they don’t have to navigate the dual enrollment process without help.
Amara most recently made a Dual Enrollment Planner which is awesome!
This planner is perfect for students taking college classes in high school. Along with the weekly calendar, monthly calendar, semester planning, and pages to manage important dates, you will find inspirational quotes and insightful Dual Enrollment tips. And did you know that Dual Enrollment classes are weighted on a 5.0 GPA scale? To calculate your high school GPA, this planner includes a grading scale conversion chart.
Click here to order the Dual Enrollment Planner
Click here to order The Strategic Mind of A Young Legend
CONTACT A YOUNG LEGEND
Website: AYoungLegend.com
LinkedIn: Amara Leggett
Instagram: @a.young.legend
Facebook: @TheAYoungLegend
Twitter: @amaraleggett
Pinterest: Amara Leggett
CONTACT DUAL ENROLLMENT CO.
Website: DualEnrollment.co
Instagram: @Dualenrollment.co
I love this! I do wonder whether it’s healthy to go through school so fast… But to each their own, and it seems to have worked out for her!
Wow, this is an amazing piece! Thank you so much for sharing my story. I appreciate the kind words and providing the information for students to get started with Dual Enrollment. Dual Enrollment has changed my life!