02/16/2021 12:41:34 PMSalenah Cartier’s love of learning started young. She began reading at age 2 and could solve algebraic equations by age 4. “I am always looking for new ways to feed my curiosity and expand my knowledge on topics,” Cartier said. “Everything I do, I take it as a learning opportunity, whether it’s just my day-to-day activity or actual formal education.” Although loved ones supported her academic milestones, Cartier said her peers bullied her. “I was bitten, stabbed and had bones broken,” she told the Houston Chronicle. She purposefully underperformed in fifth grade to avoid standing out and later left the toxic environment for homeschooling. Then, her passion for education returned. At 14, Cartier earned a high school diploma and an associate degree through dual credit classes at Lone Star College-Kingwood. At 17, she became the youngest graduate in the University of Houston’s class of 2020, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a certificate in corporate entrepreneurship from C.T. Bauer College of Business.