A 15-year-old Black student Nehemiah Juniel is making history at Sam Houston State University by becoming their youngest graduate, SHSU announced on July 14.
Juniel will obtain his bachelor’s degree in health sciences this August. And while he made it to the finish line of his undergraduate career, it wasn’t always an easy journey for the passionate learner.
“The biggest challenge was staying focused,” Juniel said. “It was especially difficult when the course material was uninteresting or something I already knew. I often needed encouragement from others to put effort into such work before I put myself back on track again. My professors and teaching assistants were the most positive aspect of my experience at SHSU.”
Since early childhood, Juniel has always been on his educational game, learning pre-algebra at just 5 years old and receiving his Associate of Science degree at 13. Juniel even knew he wanted to pursue the medical field at age 8.
“Around the age of eight years old, I decided I wanted to become a surgeon of some sort,” he said. “As I grew, I continued to change and specify what kind of career I wanted to pursue. This culminated into my decision to study cardiology.”
As for his support group, in his corner are his parents, who homeschooled him, and his sister Gabrielle, who is graduating from SHSU this fall at 19 years old.
Soon after walking the stage at graduation, the academic prodigy begins his journey to becoming a cardiologist, starting with him studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), a standardized test to evaluate an applicant’s qualification for medical school.
Juniel left a message encouraging those who are going after their dreams.
“Don’t get discouraged if you run into a few issues or if you fail a couple of times,” he said. “As long as you keep trying, you will eventually reach your goal.”
