On Saturday, May 18, 2024, Augusta native and Paine College Alum, Charleston Lee, will walk across the stage at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN and accept her Master of Science in Data Science as the youngest to do so in the School of  Applied Computational Science at 18 years old.

Charleston is not new to making history. In November of 2021, Charleston was installed as the youngest SGA President in Paine College’s history at age 16 and is also noted as one of the youngest to graduate from the college.

Charleston’s strong spiritual upbringing keeps her grounded. “II Corinthians 5:7, “for we walk by faith and not by sight”, and Proverbs 31:26, “she opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue” are two scriptures that helped me on this journey to completing my degree”, says Lee.  Her faith and determination are two qualities that she attributes to her educational pursuits.

“Charleston has always been focused and determined, even as a young girl. She knew what she wanted, and she made sure she did all she could to accomplish her goals” says mom, Kimberly Baxter-Lee. Family and friends from Augusta, and other parts of the country, will travel to Tennessee to witness this celebratory milestone for Charleston.