At 18 years old, Huntington Valley native Delila Matara was the youngest graduate at the Montgomery County Community College 2020 Commencement Ceremony held on Oct. 2.

In the spring of 2020, Matara graduated from Lower Moreland High School with enough college credits to complete an associate’s degree in secondary education.

Matara was able to receive both received a high school diploma and a college degree because she took advantage of MCCC’s dual enrollment program, which allowed her to take college-level courses while still in high school.

While Matara said she was proud to earn the unique distinction, she admits she hasn’t given it too much thought.

“Honestly I just try to move forward. I’ve accomplished more than most people my age, but there have been some challenges,” she said, noting that she had to learn to balance her time with her homework for other classes.

While pursuing an associate’s degree, Matara juggled a full course load and was involved at both schools. Among her extracurricular activities included her time as a captain for the Lower Moreland High School Mini-THON, helping to raise money for children fighting cancer.

At MCCC, she was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the prestigious honor society for two-year college students.

She is also one of five student essay contest winners, who submitted their work as part of the 2019 Presidential Symposium on Diversity, featuring New York Times bestselling author Dr. Tara Westover. Matara won for her entry, “Never Look Down.”

Matara is currently in her junior year online at Temple University, where she has begun a program that allows students to graduate with both an undergraduate and graduate degree in five years. Matara will receive a bachelor’s degree in English, followed by a master’s degree in secondary education.

Matara would especially like to teach the Bard at Princeton University.

“I like teaching Shakespeare,” she said. “It’s literature you can really get kids to think about. Plus, Princeton is close to home. So that’s my main goal.”

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