An exceptional 15-year-old boy named Khaya Njumbe has achieved the remarkable feat of earning four different degrees from two universities in the United States before finishing high school.
Khaya is a teen from Gary whose family moved from South Africa to the United States over 30 years ago. He was able to juggle both his high school and college classes simultaneously at a young age.
He attends classes at 21st Century Charter School, a school under Geo Academies, a system of charters, and received credits for both degrees simultaneously due to how the curriculum is designed, according to WISH-TV.
”Originally I planned to graduate high school at 12 years old . Around campus, a lot of people were shocked when they saw me. They would think I was the professor’s son,” he said.
“Since I was very little, I’ve always wanted to graduate early. At first, it was quite shocking. I didn’t believe I was going to get my bachelor’s degree at such a young age,” Khaya added.
Khaya said he earned credits from Ivy Tech University before taking classes at Indiana University. He will be graduating from Ivy Tech University with three associate’s degrees and also a bachelor’s degree from Indiana Northwest University, United States in the same year.
He was honored by a coalition of Black leaders in Indianapolis together with his friend who also achieved the same feat as his. They were also recognized by the State of Indiana at the celebration for their dedication to education.
Khaya stated that he is driven by his desire to learn and get ahead adding that he hopes his story encourages others to do the same.”Be confident in what you want to do in the future. Set your goals now and execute,” he said.
He mentioned that though he has a lot of accomplishments, he still knows how to manage his time so well that he still does childhood things like playing video games. Khaya said he wants to go into the medical field as he plans to become an orthopedic surgeon.