LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Three years ago, Carmen Ellison was 15 and one of the youngest students ever to graduate from Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS). At the time, she said she wanted to do something "big."

Not satisfied with being one of the youngest JCPS graduates ever, Ellison is now one of the youngest University of Louisville alumni. She graduated in just two-and-a-half years. 

"Mainly, it was me taking a larger course load because I had a goal, and I was really determined to reach that goal," she said. 

With a political science degree under her belt, Ellison said she hopes to attend law school in the fall. As a young Black student, one professor in particular inspired her: Dr. Sherry Wallace.

“Political science is not particularly very diverse, if I would say so myself," Ellison said. "[There are] not many Black women in the field, and I’ve had one professor who was a Black [female] political scientist, and that really inspired me,” Ellison said.

Of her many accolades, Wallace is the co-author of “American Politics and the African American Quest for Universal Freedom.”

Ellison wasn’t only studying political science, however. In college, she continued following her love of dance as a member of the Dazzling Cardettes, a majorette style of dance originating in historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Ellison completed high school and college in fewer than five years. Her commencement was held in December at the KFC Yum! Center, where her mother and extended family attended.

“The KFC Yum! Center is so big, and I was screaming because I was so excited," said Felicia Bowman, Ellison's mother. "I mean, she is a first-generation college student." 

"It flew by really fast; I was surprised," said John Ellison, her father. "She accomplished more than people I work with, and I'm just really amazed and proud of her."