Truly a child prodigy.
A 15-year-old Indiana student will become the Hoosier State’s youngest college graduate. He graduated simultaneously with a high school degree.
Kaya Njumbe plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Indiana University Northwest on May 8, with dreams of becoming a doctor, the newspaper reported. University.
Njumbe began studying at IU Northwest when she was just 12 years old, taking online and in-person classes while continuing with extracurricular activities such as playing the piano and learning Chinese.
He enrolled in college while taking two-credit courses at 21st Century Charter High School in Gary, Indiana. This high school allows students to take college courses and earn an associate’s degree before graduating.
But the young prodigy challenged himself, took a chance on areas no student had ventured before, and graduated with enough credits to earn a bachelor’s degree.
“A lot of people will think I’m surprised, I never thought I could do this,” Njumbe said. “For as long as I can remember, that’s all I’ve known, so now it’s just normal.”
This young prodigy has already earned three associate degrees from Ivy Tech in biology, liberal arts, and general studies.
Jack Bloom, a sociology and anthropology professor who has taught at IU Northwest for 45 years, said Njumbe is a unique student.
“He’s reliable. He’s a serious student. He does readings. He produces great work,” Bloom said. wagon 9.
Junbae’s age fascinated people all over campus.
He was once accused of having a fake student ID while playing basketball in the school gymnasium, and was mistaken for a professor’s grandson during class.
His parents, Belinda and David Jumbe, always knew their son was gifted.
The couple told the outlet that Njumbe would recite the words flashing on the screen: “Your Child Can Read!” DVD at 13 months old.
Njumbe showed a keen interest in education from the time his parents could remember, enrolling him in IU Northwest’s reading program at the age of four.
Belinda Njumbe told the university: “Since he was four years old, he has said this is the school he wants to go to.”
His mother said she homeschooled her son for several years and was able to complete every grade level in a few months, no matter how advanced the content was.
Njumbe’s passion for knowledge was “fun” for him and he wanted to learn even when he wasn’t in school.
“I would just watch videos on YouTube and then YouTube would suggest more educational content and I would just keep clicking from video to video. And I just remembered it.” He said.
Belinda Njumbe said nothing was stopping her son from learning.
“Something goes inside him. When it clicks, he gets out of bed and has to do it. If it’s a math problem, he’ll wake up in the middle of the night and solve it,” she said. she said, adding that she had witnessed him speaking Chinese in his sleep.
The young prodigy’s plans for a medical degree have been postponed until he turns 18 due to labor laws, but he has no plans to stop his educational journey.
Njumbe said she plans to look for a master’s degree while preparing for medical school.
His goal is to earn a doctorate in biomedical engineering from IU Northwest by age 22.
“The sky is the limit for him,” Teresa Canady, a social worker at 21st Century School, told WGN9. “I see him doing exactly what he wants to do and more.”
