Most 9-year-old kids are sitting around waiting for lunchtime or recess, but this child prodigy just graduated from high school.
David Balogun received a diploma from Reach Cyber Charter School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, according to NBC affiliate WGAL.
“They didn’t bog me down. They also advocated for me, saying, ‘He can do this. He can do that,’” the 9-year-old said of the high school.
The wunderkind took online classes from his home, and especially enjoyed his studies in science and computer programming.
“I want to be an astrophysicist, and I want to study black holes and supernovas,” David shared.
The star student started his high school classes right before the pandemic shut schools down, and he continued to take his courses virtually until he had the required credits to graduate, according to Insider.
It took the boy genius less than three years to get his diploma, and he graduated with a GPA of more than 4.0.
David credits some of his favorite teachers for his success.
“David was an inspirational kid, definitely one who changes the way you think about teaching,” science teacher Cody Derr said.
Both of David’s parents have advanced degrees — but they admit it’s challenging to raise a son who is so gifted intellectually.
“I had to get outside of the box. Playing pillow fights when you’re not supposed to, throwing the balls in the house,” his mother, Ronya, said. “He’s a 9-year-old with the brain that has the capacity to understand and comprehend a lot of concepts beyond his years and sometimes beyond my understanding.”
Ronya said that they tested their son for giftedness in first grade, when he had already gone beyond the second-grade level for both math and English.
“So that’s when I stepped in, and I said, ‘He does not need to go to second grade. He needs to go to third grade.’ Then COVID hit,” she added. “Two and a half years later, he finished high school.”
The accomplishment now makes David one of the youngest known high school graduates, according to Oldest.org.
The only person younger than him on the list is Michael Kearny — who is still the Guinness World Record holder for being the youngest person to graduate from high school at age 6.
However, David beat out a very notable figure on the list: Ronan Farrow. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist was 11 years old when he graduated from high school.
David’s parents are now trying to find a college that’s the right fit for their young son after he completes a semester at Bucks County Community College, and they’re considering Ivies including Princeton, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania.
“We’re still kind of grappling with all these things, if that makes any sense, to figure out what is the right fit. Again, he’s 9 years old — I’m not dropping my kid off” at a dorm, Ronya said. “It’s going to take a lot.”
“Am I going to throw my 9-year-old into Harvard while I’m living in PA? No,” David’s father, Henry, said.
They’re both hesitant to send such a young child to a large campus with older students.
“You can imagine a 9-year-old running around a campus by himself,” Henry said. “It’s difficult for him to focus on what adults usually like to focus on. And they might see him as, ‘OK, where is the parent? Where is your dad? Or where is your mom?’”
While the child genius’ favorite thing is to learn, he has other passions such as sports, getting his black belt in martial arts and playing the piano.
