Ahead of their time|Young siblings dig into college curriculum

Published 12:00 am Monday, June 15, 2009

After losing faith in public schools eight years ago, Charity Hohm-Whaley decided she was better suited to educate her children.

So she did.

Now her daughter and son, at 14 and 17, are in college at Hinds.

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“When I was in the second grade, I couldn’t read or write,” said 17-year-old Michael Hohm, who expects his associate’s degree in six months. “If all goes well, I’ll be graduating in December.”

Michael has been home-schooled since fourth grade, and Carrie since first.

“She calls herself a kindergarten drop-out,” said Hohm-Whaley.

Michael enrolled at Hinds last summer, and Carrie joined him in January. Both are in summer classes at Hinds’ Vicksburg campus and the main branch in Raymond. Carrie is taking 17 hours of college-level work, and Michael 16.

“Carrie wanted to outdo her brother,” said Hohm-Whaley.

The two sat down with their mother, made a list of classes, and decided to attend both locations in order to achieve their goals.

“Why take a few classes when you pay the same amount as a full load?” Hohm-Whaley asked. “I hope they use education the best way they can. Between ages 18 and 20 is a pivotal moment in their lives.”

After graduation, Michael hopes to begin working on a civil engineering degree at Mississippi State University and earn a master’s in the same field.

“I want to work with the Army Corps of Engineers here to gain experience and connections and move from there,” he said. “That’s my eight- to 10-year plan.”

Carrie wants to enter Mississippi College’s pre-law program. “I’m being encouraged by my family to go to law school,” she said. “I thought a Christian college would be a better school to attend.” She could be a licensed attorney at 20.

Though Hohm-Whaley’s concern for Carrie’s age prompts her to keep her daughter closer to home, she agrees with Carrie’s choice. “She is too young to move off to go to college, and it’s OK if it takes time for her to develop emotionally. But we don’t waste time. She will get a four-year degree by age 17.”

Carrie is interested in working with her uncle Billy “Ray” Therrell II, an attorney in Magee. She wants to help children and women who have been victims of domestic violence.

“He likes helping people, and I want to help kids who go through that kind of thing,” Carrie said.

Though they’re all about the class work, Michael and Carrie find time for fun. Each year, they travel abroad. Michael has visited 16 countries, and Carrie 15. That way, they can “see, touch and smell history,” their mother says.

When they’re not traveling or hoofing across campus, the siblings like to hang out with family and friends and go to movies. They’re also active in church.

“They blend right in because they’re so active,” their mother said. “They also do a lot of community service at Willow Wood Developmental Center in Jackson. I raised them with the standard, ‘You work hard and it pays off.’”

Michael’s and Carrie’s father is Erick Hohm. He lives in Simpson County.

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Contact Tish Butts at tbutts@vicksburgpost.com