13-year-old Oklahoma City Community College graduates with degrees in science and cybersecurity
WATCH: 13-year-old makes history as Oklahoma City Community College’s youngest graduate
Elijah Muhammad has achieved something few 13-year-olds can boast of: he graduated from college.
The young teenager recently hit the stage at Oklahoma City Community College after earning an associate’s degree in computer science and cybersecurity.
Elijah told ABC News affiliate KOCO that he also has 10 IBM certifications, a Google IT certification and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Oklahoma State University.
“My dad has a home-schooling program called Pro One Collegiate Academy and it basically speeds up your learning of the things that interest you,” Elijah told “Good Morning America.” “So since I got into cybersecurity, it accelerated me and I was able to go to college early.”
MORE: Teen accepted to over 50 colleges receives over $1.3 million in scholarships
Elijah said he often caught the attention of other students in his community college classes, with some thinking another adult in the class was guarding him.
Jay Wiggins
Elijah Muhammad graduated from Oklahoma City Community College.
“I told them I was actually in that class [at] my age – they were surprised at first,” he said. “They thought I would just be quiet in class. But when I asked questions and interacted with the class, they were more surprised.”
Elijah’s older sister, Shania Muhammad, told KOCO that her brother was “the smartest person I know”.
“And whether you’re older or not, it’s like I’ve never seen [anything] like him,” she said.
Shania, who spoke with KOCO about graduating from Langston University at just 15, worked with Elijah and inspired him to graduate earlier.
“I got two associate degrees at 14 and kind of went through the same process,” Shania said. “That’s why I kept doing my A-levels. I finished it all in two and a half years. So I was just exploring and having fun, but it turned out pretty amazing. “
MORE: High school graduates with 8.07 GPA
Elijah said the siblings were “competitive” but added, “When someone else needs help, we’re all there to help each other.”
Jay Wiggins
Elijah Muhammad standing at the graduation with his peers.
As much as Elijah studies, he also devotes time to other activities including swimming and basketball. He is also a motivational speaker and hopes to help others achieve their goals.
“If you want to get into doing a 4.0, you can do that,” Elijah told KOCO. “If you want to strive for a state championship, you can do it. You just have to put in the work to get there.”
