When Clovis Hung enrolled in college at age 9, he “didn’t expect” to break the previous record.
You could say that Clovis Hung has a little bit of an advantage in life!
With five degrees, the 12-year-old is now a graduate of Fullerton College in California, making history as the school’s youngest commencement speaker ever!
He received five associate of arts degrees, according to the local news station KABC, in history, social sciences, social behavior and self-development, arts and human expression, and science and mathematics. He intends to continue his education next year.
The previous school record holder, 13-year-old graduate Jack Rico, was Hung’s inspiration for wanting to break the mark. “I also wanted to be the youngest graduate,” Hung stated. I didn’t anticipate defeating him.
Last Saturday, Hung donned his cap and gown, years after enrolling through the school’s Special Admit program and starting college at the age of 9. While attending college, he also finished a homeschooling curriculum.
Clovis is “extremely curious, mature, diligent, self-disciplined, and highly motivated,” according to a statement from his mother Song Choi. “College was the best option for him because he is also very curious and traditional public schools cannot satiate his curiosity.”
Hung revealed to many media sites that his mother started homeschooling him after learning about his curiosity when he was a small child. He only enrolled in one class when he first started college, but after liking it, he continued.
Since Hung is so determined, Choi tells KABC that she is not a “tiger mom,” or someone who pushes their kids to accomplish great heights. Instead, Choi tells Hung to “relax” and “take it easy” from time to time.
Given the age and developmental differences between Hung and the other students, biology professor Kenneth Collins admitted that at first he was “a little worried” about how Hung would get along with the other students, but those worries turned out to be “unfounded.”
“Clovis has been a great mixture of ‘kid’ and college student,” Collins remarked in the press announcement. He is old enough for the other pupils to take him seriously, yet young enough that they still treat him like their little brother and encourage him.
Hung acknowledged that the age gap between him and his peers made him anxious when he entered new classrooms each semester, thus it wasn’t an easy journey for him.
The first thing my instructors and classmates frequently inquire about is my age, he claimed in the press release. “They are surprised by what I am doing here and are always interested in the topics I cover in my tests and quizzes.”
But with time, I started to take my studies seriously, and now everyone believes in my abilities and resolve to do well in school.
Hung joined Civic Air Patrol and, while being “really proud of what I’ve accomplished so far,” he now plans to obtain his pilot’s license at the age of 16. His next desire is to visit Mars or a “further planet,” he stated, according to KCAL.
I want to learn something new or meet famous individuals like Elon Musk in the future,” he stated. “Smart people should talk to smart people,” he said, “because I’m a very smart kid and he’s a very smart person.”
