COVID-19 Pandemic, A 12-Year-Old Child Graduated From High School And College On The Same Week

JAKARTA - A 12-year-old boy in North Carolina, United States, is using the time off he had during the COVID-19 pandemic to take some extra classes at school.

Now, one year later, Mike Wimmer, from Salisbury, North Carolina is preparing to graduate high school and college in the same week.

Wimmer completed four years of high school and a two-year associate degree all in one year.

He will graduate from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College on May 21, as well as graduate from Concord Academy High School on May 28, where he will say his valedictorian speech.

Wimmer took dual enrollment classes and realized that at the pace he was aiming for, he only needed a few more classes to earn his associate's degree after graduating high school.

Wimmer revealed that his Grade Point Average (GPA) at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College is 4.0, while his high school GPA is 5.45.

Despite being several years younger than his classmates, Wimmer says he gets along well with them. In fact, he was nominated for the Homecoming Court, a group of senior and influential students that existed in high school and last year.

"I finish all the grades in school at a faster pace. I'm like a sponge, I absorb knowledge very quickly", he said, cited from WCNC.

Wimmer, who has an interest in robotics, said he is good at math and science. He's always been interested in technology. At 18 months, Wimmer has 'got' his first iPad and is wondering how it works.

He learned nearly all of his programming and robotic knowledge through trial and error as well as online videos, according to his website, Next Era Innovations.

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He's also created his own startup, called Reflect Social, which combines popular social media platforms with the Internet of Things (IoT) devices, providing a dynamic new social experience, the site continues.

"My entrepreneurial goal is to build technology that allows people to live better lives", he said.

Both of Wimmer's parents are grateful and proud of their child's abilities. While hoping that his abilities will continue to develop and be useful for others.

"If one door is locked, he will look for other ways to find ways to achieve his goals", said his mother Melissa Wimmer.

With graduation only weeks away, Wimmer is considering the next steps he will take, with many offers coming up for him.

Those options include job offers inside and outside the United States, more schools, or scholarships that will allow him to develop his startup.

Behind all his achievements, Wimmer wants people to know that he still needs activities and games like children his age, playing basketball to building Lego.

"A lot of people think I have let go of my childhood or somehow lost it. I told them, I'm still having fun", he concluded.