A true prodigy.
A 15-year-old Indiana student is poised to become the Hoosier State’s youngest known college graduate — and he did it while earning his high school diploma at the same time.
Khaya Njumbe will graduate from Indiana University Northwest with a bachelor’s degree in general studies on May 8 with dreams of becoming a doctor, according to the university.
Njumbe began studying at IU Northwest when he was just 12 years old, taking classes online and in person while pursuing extracurricular activities, like playing the piano and learning Chinese.
He had been enrolled in college while taking dual credit courses at 21st Century Charter High School in Gary, Indiana, which allows students to take college courses and earn associate degrees before obtaining their diploma.
However, the young phenom challenged himself and seized the opportunity to enter a position that no student before him had ever been in, and he finished with enough college credits to earn his bachelor’s degree.
“I guess a lot of people would think I’m surprised, didn’t think I was going to be able to do that,” Njumbe said. “It’s pretty normal to me now because for as long as I can remember, that’s all I knew.”
The young wizard has already earned three associate’s degrees in biology, liberal arts, and general studies at Ivy Tech.
Jack Bloom, a professor of sociology and anthropology at IU Northwest who has taught at the university for 45 years, said Njumbe was a one-of-a-kind student.
“You can count on him. He is a serious student. He is the one who does the reading. He produces great work,” Bloom told WGN9.
Njumbe’s age captivated people on campus.
He was previously accused of having a fake school ID while playing basketball in the school gymnasium and was mistaken for a teacher’s grandson while in class.
His parents, Belinda and David Njumbe, always knew their son was gifted.
The couple told the outlet that Njumbe would recite the words flashing on the film’s screen “Your child can read!” DVD at 13 months.
Njumbe has shown a strong interest in education for as long as his parents can remember and was enrolled in a reading program at IU Northwest when he was 4 years old.
“Since he was 4 years old, he’s been saying this is the school he’s going to go to,” Belinda Njumbe said at the university.
His mother said she homeschooled him for a few years and that no matter how advanced the subject was, he was able to breeze through it and complete entire levels in a matter of months.
Njumbe’s passion for knowledge was “fun” for him, and even when he was not in school, he wanted to learn.
“I would just watch YouTube videos and then YouTube would recommend more educational content and I would just keep clicking to the next video, from video to video. And I would just remember it,” he said.
Belinda Njumbe said nothing could stop her son from learning.
“Something comes to him. When he clicks, he gets out of bed, he has to go and do this. If it’s a math problem, he’ll get up in the middle of the night and figure it out,” she said, adding that she caught him speaking Chinese in his sleep.
The young genius’s plans to pursue medical studies were put on hold until he turned 18 due to labor laws, but he has no plans to stop his educational journey.
Njumbe said he plans to find a master’s program as he prepares for medical school.
Her goal is to earn her doctorate in biomedical engineering from IU Northwest before age 22.
“The sky’s the limit for him,” Theresa Canady, a social worker at the 21st Century School, told WGN9. “I see him doing exactly what he wants to do and more.”
New York Post
