Gifted 14-year-old has put her life on fast forward

A liberal dose

March 05, 2008

She has not yet blown out her 16 candles. She's too young to drive or vote. But Lauren Coker is a thriving college student.

At age 14, she is the youngest student at the University of North Texas' Honors College in Denton. Now in her second semester, Lauren is making straight A's as she works toward a bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in creative writing.

'I love it,' said Lauren, of Argyle. 'I'm finally around students who are more mature and more serious about learning.'

Her mom, Julie Coker, drives her to UNT every weekday morning, where Lauren spends about four hours taking Spanish, English, psychology or history classes. In the afternoon, Lauren gets home-schooled in art, math and physical education.

By the time Lauren receives her high school diploma, in 2010, she will have completed three years of college. She'll be almost 18.

'Never imagined it'

Lauren's parents did not always know that their child is gifted.

'We were totally in the dark,' Julie Coker said. 'She never got B's, and she scored exceptionally high on her annual achievement tests, but we never really thought anything about it.'

There were clues.

In kindergarten, she wrote her first play.

'I would direct them, make the costumes and sometimes play a character,' Lauren said.

At age 11, she switched to writing short stories.

By then, Julie Coker, a homemaker, and her husband, Michael Kisselburgh, a software engineer, realized that their daughter needed to be challenged, so they enrolled her in a private school in Denton for fifth through seventh grades.

But her classes still weren't rigorous enough, so she skipped eighth grade. After Lauren finished ninth grade in a private Dallas school, experts suggested that she complete 10th through 12th grades at a college.

Before registering for honors classes at UNT, Lauren -- who scored in the 'profoundly gifted' range on an IQ test -- was required to earn a higher-than-average score on the SAT.

She also had to be interviewed by the Honors College faculty and get consent from the department heads.

Julie Coker said she is proud and delighted.

'But I never imagined it, having a 14-year-old daughter in college,' she said. 'I'm just happy that she's finally getting a real challenge.'

Blending in

On the first day of English class, Lauren announced her age to her classmates and professor, Jean Roelke.

'Since then, everybody just sort of forgot,' Roelke said. 'Lauren seems emotionally mature and open-minded. She blends in.'

Classmate Robin Gray, 42, of Frisco sits with Lauren in the front row of their history class.

'I tease her by telling her she's our resident genius,' said Gray, a mother of three.

To Gray, Lauren is a focused, sweet and down-to-earth companion.

'She doesn't call attention to herself,' Gray said.

Lauren will soon self-publish her first novel. She began writing The Phantom's Lullaby, a spinoff of The Phantom of the Opera, almost a year ago.

The 230-page book, now being edited, should go on sale late this year.

Future plans

Lauren doesn't think that she is rushing through her childhood.

Skipping high school is no big deal to her.

'I'm not very interested in everything high school tends to imply minus the academics,' she said.

Starting college early will help Lauren get a head start on achieving her long list of goals. Her plans include getting her master's degree and doctorate in English, sponsoring needy children across the globe, protecting the environment, fighting for animal rights and writing plenty of novels.

'I want to make sure I have enough time to get all of that done,' Lauren said.

HONORS COLLEGE

UNT Honors College is open to undergraduate students who excel in high school or community college.

Goal: To provide challenging classes and captivating programs that will enrich students' college experience, said Gloria Cox, dean of the Honors College.

Students: About 1,000

Established: August 2005

Information: www.unt.edu/honors, 940-565-3305

Source: University of North Texas

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