Listen Live
Majic ATL Featured Video
CLOSE
Teacher supervising the class during a school exam

Source: NoSystem images / Getty

Meet Caleb Anderson. He is a 13-year-old boy who just started his first semester at Georgia Tech University, one of the youngest students on campus. So young, that Caleb’s father has to drive him too and from campus every day. Caleb’s life is very unusual for a 13-year-old. Most kids his age are gearing up for 7th grade, but Caleb is working through calculus and making plans to fly to space one day.

The Marietta teen has always had a great mind; from birth, he has been a step ahead of other kids his age. He qualified for MENSA at 3 years old. Mensa is is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardized, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence Founded in 1948, MENSA sought to create a community of highly intelligent humans to provide valuable insights into how our brains work as well as opportunities for collaboration among cognitively gifted peers who share interests. Caleb was almost the younger person ever to be qualified for MENSA. He was bested by two-year-old Kashe West, a young brown girl from California.

In an interview with FOX 5 Atlanta, Caleb and his parents talk about his journey for a high IQ baby, to enrolling in college at 13 yeas of age. Caleb spent the last two years in a dual-enrollment program at Chattahoochee Technical College, which made him eligible to enroll at Georgia Tech as a sophomore. Caleb’s mother worries if she has done enough for him, but he remains focused on his goals and aspirations, something not easy for a 13-year-old. Caleb’s father was teased as a child for being the “smart kid.” He teaches Caleb to always believe in himself, and never let others convince him to turn his back on his gifts.

He already has his priorities in order and only wants to concentrate on things that will advance his ambitions. He wants to major in aerospace engineering and is very interested in space exploration. He also has dreams to fly commercial aircraft.

Caleb and his family hope his story will inspire young children to think differently, take chances and strive to become what they’ve always dreamed of. They also want to change how this country sees teenage black men. A young black man with dreams of traveling to space gives kids a chance to see other inspirations besides Youtubers, TikTokers, or basketball players. Caleb may be an outlier but he’s also helping many other families rethink what they think their kids are capable of doing. It would do so much good if more middle-class parents encouraged their children to dream big

Caleb is in a 5-year program, once completed he will be 18. There his sights are set on M.I.T for his Ph.D. After he completes school, don’t be surprised if Caleb is the first man on Mars.

ALSO SEE: 

Historic Moves: Lindsay Davis Becomes First Black Student To Earn Ph.D. In Chemistry At UTA

NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo Acquires Ownership Stake In MLB Team

NBA Star Chris Paul Joins Effort To Make Plant-Based Nutrition Options Accessible In Underserved Communities

13-Year-Old Black Boy Starts First Semester At Georgia Tech University  was originally published on newsone.com