A 9-year-old genius boy named David Balogun has set an outstanding record at Reach Cyber Charter School in Pennsylvania, United States after earning an exceptional 4.0 GPA to emerge the youngest-ever graduate of the school.
The usual age for students to complete high school in the United States is 18, David Balogun however completed his at the age of 9 and has now started college with the dream of becoming an Astrophysicist.
Speaking on how he was able to attain his high school diploma 9 years ahead of his colleagues, David explained that he did not set out to go to college early but when he realized it was possible, he made it his goal.
“At the beginning, I just wanted to graduate early. And then after third grade, the teacher said that I should go to fourth grade … so at that point, I decided I want to graduate at the age of 10,” David said.
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He added that his mom, Ronya Balogun, inspired him to achieve his desire at the age of 9, earlier than he planned. “And my mom said, if you put the effort in, we will advocate for you and you probably will be able to graduate at the age of nine. So I decided, OK, I’ll graduate at the age of nine,” he added.
David embarked on an accelerated program in 2020, leveraging online classes and studying year-round with high interest in a variety of subjects.
“As my mom puts it, my favorite subject is learning new things. Whether it’s art, math, science, English, social studies, I’ll be happy to learn something new,” David said
Ronya Balogun, David’s mother, described her son’s journey as an exciting one. “When he heard the word ‘S.T.E.M’ program, at seven years old, he was jumping up and down. I said ‘Okay, this is where we’re going, this is what we’re doing.’ He loved it from the first moment. It’s been an amazing journey,” she told WHTM.
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She said the entire family is extremely proud of his achievement and is currently exploring Ivy League schools – including the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Harvard for him to pursue his dream of becoming an Astrophysicist.
Henry Balogun, David’s dad, said, “It has always been my joy to see my son in this position today.”
The parent advised other parents to to support your child whenever possible. “It’s very rewarding but you have to kind of get yourself outside of the box and be able to see things outside of the system and advocate and speak up and not give up,” Ronya Balogun said.
“Be their own cheerleader, believe in them, even when they sometimes doubt themselves. Just believe in them and that’s what I tell my son, ‘As far as you want to go, go.”
“There is no limits to where you want to go. There is no limit to your dreams,” she added.
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