At 10 years old, most of us couldn’t fathom life past elementary school, but for David Balogun, he’s light-years past that.
The child prodigy initially garnered attention for earning his high school diploma just a year ago at 9 years old, wowing those around him with his big aspirations to become an astrophysicist.
This is amazing! 9-yo David Balogun recently became one of the youngest people to graduate HS in Pennsylvania. David is a true prodigy who I’m certain will leave a LASTING mark on this world through his quest for knowledge and dreams for the future! 👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/YKiOx0FhKq
— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) April 5, 2023
From attending elementary school at the beginning of the pandemic to finishing high school just three years later with a 4.0 GPA, David was reportedly one of the youngest people to graduate from high school, per The Guardian. From there began the complicated search for his next endeavor: college.
What’s happened in the year since we checked in? Well, the Pennsylvania native is taking a full courseload online at Southern New Hampshire University, where, according to the school, he is the youngest enrollee the school has encountered.
“I love to learn,” David told the university. “If a person is saying that my parents are pushing me too hard, I would type in two words if I had to respond to them, ‘Meet me.'”
David Balogun, a 9-year-old, has already completed high school and enrolled in college. 👏🏾 https://t.co/tkuh2gKWbg
— BlavityU (@BlavityU) June 15, 2023
The 10-year-old received a full ride to pursue both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science and IT.
“We are thrilled to welcome David to the diverse SNHU community,” the university president said in a statement. “David is an amazing young man filled with so much personality. We are dedicated to ensuring that he receives an education that aligns with his remarkable abilities and empowers him to reach his full potential.”
The college search ended up being tricky due to what parents Ronya Balogun and Henry Balogun described as the “dichotomy of being that young and that smart,” per Insider. As a child that is many years younger than his teenage and adult peers, online courses at SNHU ended up being the perfect solution.
“David is learning based on his capabilities. It’s his civil right,” Ronya said, according to the school. “Not based on his age or not based on what the education system tells him, and I’m grateful that SNHU took this step to take a risk on my son.”
That risk is already paying off, an SNHU spokesperson told Insider, as David is set to complete his undergraduate degree by 2025.
Unlike the black holes David hopes to study in his dream career as an astrophysicist, his future certainly is bright.
