Oklahoma boy, 13, earns bachelor’s in cybersecurity, computer science
The teenager is enrolled at Ohio State University, where he is studying cybersecurity and forensics.
A 13-year-old Oklahoma boy is making history as the youngest-ever graduate from Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC), People reports.
Elijah Muhammad accepted a bachelor’s in cybersecurity and computer science at OCCC on Saturday. He enrolled at the college in August 2020 and made national headlines as the youngest Black college student in the state, per local station KFOR. The teenager has since earned four diplomas from the college, ABC news affiliate KOCO 5 News reports.
Additionally, Muhammad is enrolled at Ohio State University, where he is studying cybersecurity and forensics.
“I didn’t really understand the full impact of it until my dad fully explained it and was like, ‘You’re really doing this. You’re the youngest to ever do it,'” Muhammad told KOCO 5 News in a video interview.
Muhammad’s parents are educators who homeschooled their children, theGrio reported previously. He told KOCO 5 News that he has “10 IBM certifications through Course Zero” as well as “one Google IT certification,” Muhammad said.
“I also attend Langston with a 4.0,” he shared.
Muhammad’s sister is a 15-year-old college grad who described her brother as “the smartest person I know,” Shania Muhammad told KOCO 5 News.
She graduated as a Bachelor of Arts scholar from Langston University with a 4.0 GPA, the highest in her class. Shania Muhammad also earned associate’s degrees from Langston and OCCC.
The Muhammad siblings “have a bunch of competitiveness,” Elijah previously told KFOR, according to People.
“As much accomplishments as I have, I still go swimming, go outside, play basketball and still have fun and stuff,” he explained to KOCO 5 News.
Shania Muhammad said the media tends to ignore the “invisible Black scholars of this world” because they are “unrecognized in society,” she told KOCO 5 News.
In a 2022 video interview with News 9, the siblings’ father noted that the family is full of scholars.
Their home features “150 medals, over 50 trophies,” and “over 100 academic awards,” the patriarch said.
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