Conquerer: SC State athlete earns four-year degree at 19

"I want to say that I conquered things" — recent SC State graduate Inara Brady.

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Idle time is not on Inara Brady’s agenda.

Her infectiously exuberant disposition drives her to stay active and soak up life’s experiences – hurdles and all.

At just 19 years, 10 months and 4 days old, Brady graduated from South Carolina State University on Dec. 12 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.

“It was fun when I came to SC State because I was just 17 and there were so many life experiences to do,” Brady said. “Now I’m graduating at 19, and I realize I am just a baby. There’s so much left to experience that’s open for me. I am excited to start in my field because I feel like I bring a new perspective by being so young.

“I know a lot of people talk about Gen Z and the way we are in the work world, but I am genuinely excited to bring that kind of insight into the force to show what I can offer and build on it,” she said.

How did Brady manage to earn a four-year degree at such a young age?

Learning always was a priority in her family, so by the time Brady finished kindergarten, it was clear she was advanced enough to skip first grade.

Fast-forward to Midland Valley High School in Aiken County, where she entered a dual enrollment program that allowed her to earn an associate degree from Aiken Technical College alongside her high school diploma.

“I was also a three-sport athlete (volleyball, basketball, and track and field) in high school, so there were never any breaks, but I’ve always been passionate about school,” Brady said. “I love school. I love learning new things.

“So, it wasn’t a big hurdle to get over by juggling all of those things. I like being busy. I don’t like having free time to just sit still,” she said.

Instead of entering SC State as a freshman in August 2022, she arrived as a 17-year-old junior. Like in high school, Brady continued to balance academics and extracurricular activities as a member of the Bulldog volleyball team for two seasons.

What was her big takeaway from her SC State experience? “There’s nothing like it.”

“There’s no school comparable to SC State,” Brady said. “As much as people try to downplay SC State just because of the area we are in, there’s honestly so much opportunity here. There are so many ways to elevate yourself, to find yourself.

“The mentors I’ve found over the past 2 ½ years are people I will continue to rely on during my professional life,” she said. “There is just so much opportunity to build a family within SC State.”

Next up for Brady is graduate school, where she will work toward a master’s degree in clinical counseling focusing on addiction and recovery.

She credits her mother with instilling her desire for learning from the start.

“My mom has been there through everything. Gifted programs, school plays, trips – anything to elevate me and to give me an edge, she made sure it was available to me,” Brady said. “I never had to worry about whether I would succeed in school.

“That was just the expectation, and I always tried to exceed that expectation,” she said.

Brady intends to pay those expectations forward to her own daughter, 6-month-old Arani (Brady’s first name spelled backward).

“I honestly just want her to know that anything is possible, no matter what you go through,” Brady said. “No matter what hurdles come up, you are able to do anything you put your mind to. There is truly nothing that can’t be accomplished with hard work and dedication.

“I just want her to know that Black girls graduate. Little Black girls turn into big Black graduates. We are able to achieve what people don’t think we are capable of,” she said.

With graduate school ahead and a child to care for, Brady knows she faces a lot of responsibility, but she describes it with the same enthusiasm she took to earning her bachelor’s degree at 19.

“It’s hard to juggle sometimes, but what adult’s life doesn’t get hard to juggle sometimes?” Brady said. “I don’t want my path to be an easy road. I want to say that I overcame. I want to say that I conquered things.”