We first reported on Thessalonika Azru-Embry when she was a 14-year-old this wiz kid graduating college, and her community couldn't be more thrilled. Now, at 17 she has her sights on a Ph.D.
Now, the Illinois phenom, who lives with her family at Great Lakes Naval Station, has a masters degree and is close to finishing her doctorate.
She was home schooled and started college at 11. In the fall of 2016, she started a Ph.D. program in aviation psychology.
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"When I began to think about a profession, I chose one where I could make an impact," Thessalonika says.
"I feel honored for the opportunity to help others at an early age. I feel very glad to enter college and help people," Arzu-Embry said.
Arzu-Embry is particularly interested in the aviation industry because of her father, Carlos Arzu. A military veteran and a private pilot, he now works as a manager at O'Hare International Airport.
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"I grew up around airplanes," Arzu-Embry said. "We took flights all the time."
The interest in psychology was helpful as Arzu-Embry pursued her schooling, helping her overcome and respond to questions involving her age as she sought the necessary approvals to enroll in academic programs, she said. She's still encountering those barriers in the business world, but she finds that knowing how to speak the language — be it with developers or those in another industry — helps people know that she's qualified.
Arzu-Embry is writing her dissertation on dreams, which she said a lot of people think of as "junk mail" but can be an interesting way of looking at what they're experiencing in life. She hopes a degree in aviation psychology will give her the knowledge to work for aviation companies and reduce what she called "human factor errors," the types of problems that can cause plane crashes.
Using psychology to recognize when a pilot is agitated, is dealing with stress or is having other issues that negatively affect job performance can help a company avoid potentially deadly mistakes in the air, she said.
"That's really a blend of psychology and business," Arzu-Embry said.
In addition to her scholastic success, Arzu-Embry is also pursuing her various business enterprises, developing apps for Google and Apple systems, pushing her books and attending speaking engagements. She has already written five books to help others do the same things she's done.
Perspicacious Investing is a book designed to motivate and energize you. Thessalonika Arzu-Embry challenges you to uncover a deeper understanding of financial investing with wisdom from God. Each chapter promises to keep you inspired and drift away from destructive actions and attitudes that cause financial ruin. The book teaches you how to live with wisdom, achieve success, and build up a career in investing.
Jump The Education Barrier is another book that helps people discover the interpersonal habits and behavior patterns necessary to finish college resiliently and efficiency. Learning how to discern and transform the cycles preventing you from graduating is one of the major points of the book. It teaches you how to systematically develop the best practices for staying on top of your game and achieving your short-term and long term goals.
In this book, The Genius Race, Thessalonika makes it clear that being a genius in all areas of life is available to anyone at any time. It is a matter of choosing to make wise choices.
In The Future, is a book designed to help you learn how to release your business' potential, make a difference in society, and become a catalyst of change within your organization, business, and nation. In the Future is not just a book, but an interactive journey that will increase your organizational bandwidth and intellectual capacity.
In her groundbreaking book, Settled: Justice for All, Thessalonika Arzu-Embry identifies the world's injustices and provides practical, Biblically-based techniques and targeted tactics for securing your justice. Thessalonika takes on a journey to discovering God's justice and renewing your hope in the Lord. Learn to break free from negativity, uncertainty, anxiety, doubt, and injustice. In Settled: Justice for All, Thessalonika gives you keys to gaining justice—keys hidden in understanding God's Word.
Whew! How does she find time to do it all?
Thessalonika wakes up early with her mother, Wonder Embry, and makes the long commute from home to her...
...college classes. Not one to let time go to waste, on the way to school, Thessalonika and her mother study theory and talk about homework assignments.
Thessalonika dedicates all of her hard work to her mother, whom she says is her motivation.
“My mother is a strong inspiration to my success. She is a veteran of the United States Navy, and when she finished her tour, she home-schooled my brother and me."
Her proud mom says she was just doing the right thing for her children.
“Parents are the most influential force in their own children’s lives, and they have the power to influence them to do good and to go forward,” she says.
Thessalonika was home-schooled until she was eight and received the equivalent of a high school diploma. Passing an entrance exam, she got into the College of Lake County and enrolled to study psychology. She graduated with a 3.9 GPA and was a member of the College of Lake County Honors program and actually enjoys studying -- unlike many of her peers.
We wish this future doctor all the success in the world!
All of her updates and new books can be found on her website, here.
