Becoming the high school valedictorian is a huge achievement, and 12-year-old Mike Wimmer made it happen this year.
However, he graduated from not only high school, but the intelligent young man also graduated from college in the same week, the Today Show reported on Monday.
“I didn’t have to commute to school, so that actually gave me a lot more time to be able to pick up extra classes,” he explained, adding, “It was like, well, we’re sitting here doing nothing, right? So might as well take a few extra classes and get some stuff knocked out.”
Wimmer finished up his high school requirements in December, then worked on his community college assignments during the spring. He also said he has always been known as an advanced student.
“I actually went into a little summer camp when I was really young, and my mom came to pick me up the first day, and they’re like, ‘Do you know he can write his full name and do multiplication facts?'” he recalled. “And she’s like, ‘Uh, yeah, is that not normal?'”
He also used his free time to start two technology companies. The first, Next Era Innovations, Mike began when he was seven.
“Mike is a profoundly gifted forward thinking 12-year-old who has his goals set to redefining the future. Even at this young age, Mike has an extensive understanding of the coding and robotic world,” the company’s website read.
Although some might wonder if Wimmer has spent too much of his young life working and learning, he is happy about the path he chose.
“You know, if you look around my room, there’s Hot Wheels cars along the wall, tracks on the floor, and Legos are all over the place,” he explained. “I’m having the time of my life doing everything, whether that is school and my businesses and still being a kid as well.”
Wimmer also encouraged other young people to reach for their dreams, no matter what.
“When one door closes, there’s always another door, even a window you can crawl through,” he concluded.