When Annabelle Shaffer was in 7th grade, she wanted to learn some additional math concepts, beyond what they were teaching her in school. Her father, Paul Shaffer, M.S. ’11, jumped in and began to help.
Soon, it was Paul who was staying up late to study, frantically trying to keep up with Annabelle, who was learning concepts quicker than he could teach them. Paul and his wife, Julie, knew they needed help.
“Her ability to grasp information far exceeded my ability to teach it,” Paul said with a laugh.
During eighth grade, Annabelle began taking classes at Illinois State. Now 15, she’s taken six classes and is planning to return for more in the fall 2015 semester. She’s earned straight A’s and made the Dean’s List in the spring 2015 semester—likely one of the youngest students ever to do so.
She’s earned A’s in challenging classes, such as Statistical Reasoning, Calculus, and General Chemistry, to name a few. (She also earned a 33 on her ACT at age 15.) But for Annabelle and her parents, it’s the close relationships she’s forged with ISU professors and the research opportunities she’s been afforded that prove she’s in the right place.
Annabelle Shaffer with with Department of Physics faculty members Epaminondas Rosa and Allison Harris.
“School just wasn’t that challenging for her, so this certainly provided a challenge for her and gave her tremendous opportunities to engage different professors,” said Paul, an administrative aide in the Department of Mathematics. “ISU was able to provide the intellectual challenge she was looking for.”
Annabelle is technically a non-degree seeking “unclassified” student at Illinois State. Students like that don’t need to have a high school diploma to enroll in classes.
“I hope to eventually become a neurosurgeon, so I wanted to get a head-start on my pre-medical classes and get more engaged in the academic world,” Annabelle said.
So what’s it like to be sitting in a college class as a 15-year-old? The professors usually discover her age because she’s always visiting during office hours. The other students don’t usually figure it out.
“The first day or two of class is intimidating, but after that I’m just there to learn,” Annabelle said.
And she’s learning outside the classroom too. She’s been working with Department of Physics faculty members Epaminondas Rosa and Allison Harris on a research project that involves computational modeling of two interacting neurons through chemical and electrical coupling.
Annabelle met Harris through a class. The teenager has since “invested a lot of time into developing the necessary skills for this research,” including programming and computational neuroscience techniques.
Shaffer working in the lab with Professor Epaminondas Rosa from the Department of Physics.
“Despite her age, our expectations of her are similar to those of any other beginning undergraduate student, and she is doing quite well,” Harris said. “I’m continually impressed by her willingness to take on such complex research, and her eagerness to learn as much as she can.
“It’s truly a pleasure to work with bright and motivated ISU students like Annabelle,” Harris said.
Rosa agreed, praising Annabelle’s effort and dedication.
“We have really enjoyed working with Annabelle,” Rosa told STATEside. “Providing the appropriate learning environment to our students is what education at ISU is all about, isn’t it?”
Annabelle has been very appreciative of the help professors Fusun Akman and Roger Day have provided her while studying calculus at ISU.
Annabelle turns 16 in August. Now that she’ll have her driver’s license, she hopes to get more involved in campus life and student organizations during the fall 2015 semester, like a regular Redbird. (She already finds time to volunteer at a local hospital and tutor kids at a juvenile detention center.)
For now, Annabelle plans to keep taking college classes and probably earn her GED, before enrolling in a formal undergraduate program for fall 2016. She plans to apply to Illinois State.
After that, it’s medical school.
“I’m definitely putting ISU on my list for colleges just because of the opportunities I’ve had here,” she said.
This summer, she’s spending seven weeks at Harvard University to take advanced calculus and neurobiology courses. On August 17, she’ll be back on the Quad at Illinois State, just like everyone else.
“We’ve been really impressed with the quality of education she’s received at ISU and the opportunities she’s had to work closely with professors,” said Julie, who works in the Dean of Students Office. “We couldn’t have really asked for a better situation.”
Ryan Denham can be reached at rmdenha@IllinoisState.edu.
