12-Year-Old E’leese Shelton Graduates High School

E’leese Shelton, an eighth-grader from Tallahassee, graduated from high school on Thursday at the age of 12. E’leese’s exceptional abilities became apparent when she was just a toddler. Her mother, Danrell Shelton, recalls the moment she realized her daughter was special.

“I got her a LeapFrog tablet, and we didn’t know that she was self-taught until it was telling her to do the letters, uppercase, lowercase letters, and we didn’t realize that she knew all of it,” Danrell told WCTV. “I did not teach her any of it. She just had the LeapFrog and she knew it.”

E’leese began reading at the age of 3 and learning math at 4. By the time she was 12, she had completed her high school education and was ready for the next academic challenge.

“It’s just kind of surreal,” E’leese said. “I believe it’s mostly because of my support system, like my friends, my mom, my church community.”

E’leese’s family has a history of academic excellence. Her older brother, E’ven Shelton, graduated from high school at 16. Despite the nearly ten-year age difference, the siblings maintained a friendly rivalry.

“She told him that she was going to outdo him,” their father, Fred Shelton, said. “So she stuck to her word.”

E’ven is proud of his sister’s accomplishments and believes that each generation should strive to surpass the previous one.

“The best thing that you could hope for somebody that you love is for them to do something better than you,” he said. “That’s just what we hope for the next generation.”

E’leese plans to attend Tallahassee Community College before transferring to Florida State University. She aims to be in medical school by the time she is 16 or 17, with the goal of becoming a pediatrician.