9-year-old boy from Pennsylvania recently graduates from high school, aims to become an astrophysicist
After graduating from high school, a 9-year-old boy from Pennsylvania now prepares for college to pursue his dream of becoming an astrophysicist.
David Balogun has become one of the top young achievers around the world after graduating from high school at the age of 9. With his love for science and computer programming, David is now gearing up for college.
According to the WGAL report, David started high school before the COVID-19 pandemic, and since then, he has continued studying remotely. He managed to earn his high school diploma from Reach Cyber Charter School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania after three years with a 4.0 GPA.
The boy genius shared that he wants to become an astrophysicist because he is interested in "study[ing] black holes and supernovas."
Apart from being a genius, he said his teachers played a huge role in his success. “They didn’t bog me down, they advocated for me saying, ‘he can do this, he can do that,'” David said.
Cody Derr, his science teacher shared how David was an inspirational kid. “[He’s] definitely one who changes the way you think about teaching.”
Both David’s parents have advanced academic degrees, but they shared that raising a genius kid was challenging.
David’s mother, Ronya, said she had to think “outside of the box,” in raising their genius kid.
“Playing pillow fights when you’re not supposed to, throwing the balls in the house. He’s a nine-year-old with the brain that have the capacity to understand and comprehend a lot of concepts beyond his years and sometimes beyond my understanding,” she explained.
Apart from graduating from high school, David is also a member of the high intelligence quotient society Mensa. He was also able to complete one semester at Bucks County community college.
Currently, the family is in search of colleges and universities best suited for their genius child. Also included in their considerations is the proximity of the schools, where David’s parents shared that they aim for schools that are close to their home.
“Am I going to throw my nine-year-old into Harvard while I’m living in [Pennsylvania]? No,” says Henry, David’s father.
In an interview with CNN, David shared that other than becoming an astrophysicist, he also wants to become an engineer, nuclear chemist, software developer, rocket engineer, and website designer.
David’s feat has made him become one of the youngest children known to ever graduate high school. Michael Kearney currently holds the Guinness world record that he set in 1990 for being the youngest high school graduate at six.