Elijah Muhammad Jr. started taking classes at Oklahoma City Community College last month.
PHOTO: ELIJAH MUHAMMAD SR.
A 12-year-old boy from Oklahoma City recently became the youngest black college student in Oklahoma history.
Elijah Muhammad Jr. started his freshman year at Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) last month. He’s currently enrolled in three classes as part of his major, cyber security.
Elijah Jr. told KFOR that he shocked his classmates when he first walked into class.
“A bunch of them were like, ‘how old are you?'” he recalled. “Once I told them my age, they all got surprised.”
ELIJAH MUHAMMAD SR.
Elijah Jr., who is homeschooled, is also currently a high school senior.
“He’s graduating with his associate’s degree and his high school diploma at the same time, which will be next year,” his father, Elijah Muhammad Sr., told the Atlanta Black Star.
The proud dad said he knew his son was gifted when he was just two years old.
“He was very attentive, and there were things I noticed from when he was two years old that were just different, and I was like it’s time to cultivate this,” Elijah Sr. told the Atlanta Black Star.
Elijah Jr. isn’t the only prodigy in his family. His sister, Shania, became the youngest person to enroll at OCCC at 13. She was also the youngest to graduate, at 14, in May. She held the record until her little brother beat her.
“We have a bunch of competitiveness,” Elijah Jr. told KFOR. “But she really helps me out with a lot of my studying.”
Elijah Sr. said his two youngest children compete against each other at almost everything.
“When he sees her accomplish certain things, he’s like I’m up next and I can do it,” he told the local news station. “We are the cheering section for our scholars.”
Go Elijah, go!