In the Bay Area, a remarkable 14-year-old boy named Kairan Quazi is set to become the youngest graduate ever from Santa Clara University. His achievement will be followed by a new job at SpaceX, Elon Musk’s spacecraft company.
Although he can’t drive, vote, or watch R-rated movies, Quazi’s talent in computer science and engineering has secured him a position at SpaceX. According to his parents, he was already speaking in complete sentences at the age of two, showcasing his exceptional abilities.
From an early age, Quazi realized he was different from his peers. Testing revealed that he had an unusually high IQ and emotional intelligence that made him appear more mature than his age.
“During third grade, it became very obvious to my teachers, my parents, and my pediatrician that mainstream education wasn’t the right path for my accelerated learning ability,” Quazi told the outlet.
At the age of nine, he enrolled at Las Positas Community College before transferring to Santa Clara University at just 11 years old. Unlike most students who graduate in their early twenties, Quazi didn’t find his college experience strange.
“There wasn’t anything to compare it to say oh this is different. But I really enjoyed it – I made a lot of close friends. I think after a few days the novelty of me being there wore off,” Quazi told the outlet.
In fact, he found it far more fulfilling than his previous elementary school education.
“I went from being a third grade mutineer to really feeling validated intellectually,” Quazi said.
Before joining Santa Clara University, Quazi had already started working at Intel Labs as the only undergraduate intern on his team, showcasing his exceptional skills and dedication.
Contrary to some suggestions that he was missing out on childhood, Quazi doesn’t feel that way. He values the opportunity to have experiences beyond his years and doesn’t see it as a loss. He still resides in an apartment with his mother, who has been his biggest supporter throughout his journey.
“I think again that mindset would have me graduating middle school now and I don’t think it makes sense for someone that’s able to take rigorous graduate electives work in a prestigious co-op – I am joining SpaceX as a software engineer,” Quazi said.
