Photo courtesy of WGAL
David Balogun, a nine-year-old boy from Pennsylvania, has graduated high school and made history as one of the youngest ever to do so.
According to WGAL, on February 4, he recently received his diploma from Reach Cyber Charter School, and he told the outlet that he wants to go on to study to be an astrophysicist after schooling.
“I want to be an astrophysicist, and I want to study black holes and supernovas,” he excitedly told the outlet. Taking remote classes from home, David’s parents were able to see firsthand how smart and passionate he was about science, learning, and computer programming.
Despite both parents having their degrees, they admitted that raising David was still a challenge because he was so incredibly smart.
“I had to get outside of the box,” David’s mother said. “Playing pillow fights when you’re not supposed to, throwing the balls in the house. He’s a nine-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.”
Some of David’s teachers spoke about the young boy’s intellect. One instructor said, “ “We’re just proud that we were able to individualize his instruction[…]David was an inspirational kid, definitely one who changes the way you think about teaching.”
David expressed how thankful he was to have Reach Cyber Charter School teachers who supported him rather than attempting to staunch his curiosity for learning. “They didn’t bog me down. They advocated for me, saying, ‘He can do this. He can do that.”
Outside of the bounds of academia, David’s parents said that he enjoys martial arts, sports, and even playing the piano. The Balogun family is searching for a higher-level university that will let David pure all his interests at a higher level.