MANCHESTER -- Two and a half years ago, Marissa Houle graduated from Palomar College in San Marcos, Calif., at 16 years old. Armed with her associate degree in general studies, she moved to Hollis to pursue her degree at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester. She graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree in English on May 22.
At 19, Houle was the youngest person to receive a bachelor's degree from UNH Manchester. Home-schooled for the majority of her academic career, she began attending Palomar College shortly after her 15th birthday. At 16 and the youngest of her 2005 class, she graduated.
"A fast track is what I wanted. I had neither the time nor the tolerance for traditional high school," Houle said. "My parents supported me completely. It was about what I wanted in my life, and how we could get it."
Houle was diagnosed in second grade with a nonspecific learning disability and mild dyslexia.
Her future goals: "Cornell for my MFA in creative writing, hopefully next year. Working in a publishing house this fall. More poetry readings. More books. A trip to Austria for my 21st birthday. Moving to Europe in the next few years ..."
