By Richard Polina
A true wunderkind.
A 15-year-old Indiana student is set to become the youngest-known college graduate in the Hoosier state — and he did so while earning his high school degree at the same time.
Khaya Njumbe will receive his bachelor’s degree in general studies from Indiana University Northwest on May 8 with dreams of becoming a doctor, according to the university.Njumbe started studying at IU Northwest when he was only 12, taking online and in-person classes while maintaining extracurricular activities, such as playing piano and learning Chinese. He had been enrolled at the university while taking dual-credit courses at the 21st Century Charter High School in Gary, Ind., which allows students to take college courses and earn associate degrees before graduation.
However, the young phenom challenged himself and took the opportunity to a place no student before him had ever done, and he finished with enough college credits to earn his bachelor’s degree. “I guess a lot of people would think that I’m surprised, didn’t think I was going to be able to do this,” Njumbe said. “It’s pretty normal for me now because as far back as I can remember, that’s all I’ve known.”
The young wiz kid has already earned three associate degrees in biology, liberal arts, and general studies from Ivy Tech.
Jack Bloom, a Sociology and Anthropology professor at IU Northwest who has been teaching at the university for 45 years, said Njumbe is a one-of-a-kind student.
“You can count on him. He is a serious student. He does the reading. He produces great work,” Bloom told WGN9.
Njumbe’s age has captivated those across campus. He was once accused of having a fake school ID while he played basketball in the school’s gymnasium and was mistaken for a professor’s grandson while in class. His parents, Belinda and David Njumbe, always knew their son was gifted. The couple told the outlet that Njumbe would recite the words flashing on the screen from the ‘Your Child Can Read!’ DVDs at 13 months old.
Njumbe showed a strong interest in education as far back as his parents could remember, and was enrolled in a reading program at IU Northwest when he was 4 years old.
“Since he was 4, he said this is the school he’s going to go to,” Belinda Njumbe told the university.
His mother said she homeschooled him for a few years and that no matter how advanced the material was, he was able to blow through it and complete entire grade levels in months.
Njumbe’s passion for knowledge was “fun” for him, and even when he wasn’t in school, he wanted to be learning.
“I would just watch YouTube videos and then YouTube would recommend more educational content and I would just keep clicking to the next video, from video to video. And I would just remember it,” he said.
Belinda Njumbe said nothing could stop her son from learning.
“Something comes into him. When he clicks, he gets out of bed, he has to go and do that. If it’s a math problem, he will get up in the middle of the night and figure it out,” she said, adding that she’s caught him speaking Chinese while sleeping.
The boy genius’s plans to pursue a degree in medicine were put on pause until he turned 18 due to labor laws, but he has no plans to stop his education journey.
Njumbe said he plans to find a master’s program as he prepares for medical school.
His goal is to get his doctorate in biomedical engineering from IU Northwest by the time he’s 22 years old.
