He hopes to be a beacon of light for other young scholars!
A 14-year-old academic prodigy is on track to finish college next year, WBRZ news reports.
A Baton Rouge, Louisiana native, Elijah Precciely began college back in 2019 when he was just 11 years old, making history as the youngest person ever to receive a full-ride scholarship to Southern University. At the time, Elijah said others on campus really didn’t know what to make of his age, most times assuming he was older.
“Some people think I’m 15. Either I’m a tall 11-year-old or a short 15-year-old,” Elijah previously told reporters.
Now 14, Elijah says he considers himself a pretty normal teenager, despite the fact that he’s a junior physics and mechanical engineering major working on building the next wave of technology.
“I’m trying to build an electrostatic generating socket. I don’t know if that’s a teenager thing, but I’m learning about it,” he said.
So far, Elijah’s accomplished a lot, not just in his academic pursuits but also in other areas of life, becoming a two-time published author, preacher and receiving multiple patents for his inventions. While Elijah’s achievements have been lauded, the teen featured on a number of major television and media networks, the teen prodigy says he still has his own share of challenges; learning to master his email and text communication skills, navigating complex courses like Psychology where he still can’t believe he got a ‘B,’ and dealing with things other college students may not have to deal with, like growth spurts.
“I found it increasingly harder to live through doors because I grew like eight inches, and I hit doors with my head all the time. I gotta be careful now,” Elijah quipped.
His mother Pamela Precciely said she’s also seen him grow in terms of advocating for himself and ensuring he gets what he needs out of his academic tenure.
“He’s able to speak up about his own differences or his own challenges. Even when it comes to classes, he said he was taking physics and chemical engineering. But he also literally would say, ‘I want to make sure can I get a business class in there,’” Pamela recalled.
His father, Pastor Steven Precciely said he’s proud of his son, and wants other Black children to see Elijah as an inspiration and a reminder that they can do anything.
“You’ll have many Black and brown children to see someone who looks like them and does not have to cater to other institutions that are traditionally known for geniuses. There is a greatness right here at an HBCU. There’s greatness here, and you can shine and you can get a great education here and encourage them to do likewise,” explained Pastor Steven.
Elijah says he agrees with his father’s sentiments and while breaking records is great, he knows that if he just focuses on being an example and helping others, everything else will come on its own.
“Well, I don’t look for just breaking records, I look for changing lives. And in that, I will break records. My first priority is to be a shining light to help others, and the second priority is to make sure that I help people like me and people who want to connect with me,” he explained.
The teen is currently set to graduate next May.
Photo Courtesy of Elijah Precciely