When he grows up, he would like to be an astronaut, an engineer, a teacher, even the President of the United States — or all of that combined,” he told his teacher Cody Derr in September 2021. But above all, 9-year-old David Balogan set a goal of finishing school by the age of 10, eight years earlier than the average student. And he succeeded.

Last Friday, a 9-year-old boy from Bensalem, Pennsylvania graduated from Reach Cyber ​​Charter School, from online kindergarten to third grade academy.

“My mom said, ‘You know, if you work hard and study hard, you can graduate at age 9 and we’ll support you,'” he told the Washington Post. And he accepted the challenge: “So I told myself, you will finish at 9.”

Universe, robots and human anatomy

David, who loves Lego and robots, thanked his parents, God and his teachers.

His mother, Ronia, cannot pinpoint exactly when she realized that her son was able to learn and assimilate everything he sees and hears faster than his peers. And that’s because, he says, David has been that way all his life.

From a young age, he watched videos about space and human anatomy on the educational video app Kids Learning Tube. In the beginning, he could easily dictate the difficult words he had just heard. And he knew the solar system from the age of 4,” Ronia recalls.

“Your own pace of learning”

In September 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic seemed threatening enough for the coming months, she and her husband Henry decided, for health reasons, to enroll their son in an online school.

One of the reasons they were attracted to this particular school was the emphasis on science, technology, mathematics and engineering – areas that David especially loved.

And while other students went through this particular school with a higher cognitive level than was necessary for their age, no one had the speed of learning and development that David did, explains Cody Smith, the school principal.

As he quickly passed one lesson after another, the career prospects of the 9-year-old boy expanded. His future career options now included work as an astrophysicist, rocket engineer, and software developer.

Although David is almost out of high school, he will formally attend graduation in June. In the meantime, the Balogan family is looking for colleges, including online ones, so that the kid can continue his education.

At the moment, his mother has already ordered a tibenny and a hat, which her son will wear at the ceremony.

^{Source: Washington Post.}