One little girl in San Bernardino, California, is taking the meaning of Black excellence to the next level. 10-year-old Honey Cooper has big dreams for her future and isn’t wasting any time working towards them.
“I go to Kimbark Elementary School and Valley College,” Honey told ABC News.
Yes, you read that correctly; the 10-year-old is a student at both Kimbark Elementary and San Bernardino Valley College. With hopes of one day becoming a fashion designer, an artist, or a surgeon, the fourth grader can already add “trailblazer” to her resumé (if 10-year-olds even have those). Cooper’s dual enrollment is a first-of-its-kind in the San Bernardino area. As part of the program, Honey spends part of her day with her fourth-grade class and the other part taking a college-level art class.
“It’s very different because, in my fourth-grade class, there’s like a lot of people, like 33 people,” Honey said. “And in art class, there’s only like 12 people,” Honey said in a separate interview with KTLA.
“It’s extremely rare,” Kimbark Elementary principal Brittany Zuniga shared. “And so what I love about Honey doing this and starting this is she’s paving the way. She’s opening the doors for everybody else, because I think so many of us didn’t even think that this was a possibility, didn’t even think that it was something that could be done — an elementary student enrolling dually in college.”
According to Mia Cooper, Honey’s mom, the 10-year-old taught herself how to read at a young age and is now reading at a high school senior level and doing math at a seventh-grade level. Beyond her academic achievements, Mrs. Cooper is very intentional about ensuring the 10-year-old has balance.
“Spending time with her friends is very important, because you have to work on that social skill,” Cooper said noting her daughter’s extracurricular activities like theater. “We don’t allow phone screen time at our home. It’s very limited. So maybe she’s not the average fourth grader when it comes to that.”
“[My family] always encourage me to try my best and always keep doing what you’re doing. And I think that really helped me, because that way I always remember the quotes and make sure to never give up on what I’m doing. And now that I never gave up on my dream, I am now here, right now, being a college student and an elementary student,” Honey added.
Honey joins a growing list of young people who have broken barriers and enrolled in college at an early age. In 2023, Elijah Muhammad graduated from Oklahoma City Community College with a degree in science and cybersecurity at just 13 years old. Similarly, at 12 years old, Alena Analeigh Wicker graduated from high school at 12 and was accepted to medical school at 13. Like those who came before her, Honey hopes her journey inspires other young people to shoot for the stars.
“This can help kids, parents and even teachers to help, so anyone can do what I’m doing right now,” she concluded.
