A 16-year-old California student will be one of the youngest people to ever graduate from UCLA, according to a report.
Sixteen-year-old Emily Beznos is scheduled to graduate summa cum laude in June, making her the youngest person to receive a UCLA diploma this year, KTLA reported.
KTLA noted that Emily has been competing as a gymnast since the age of four. She says there is some overlap between the qualities that have made her successful as an athlete and those that have helped her thrive as a student, namely discipline and time management skills.
By the time she collects her diploma, Emily will have earned her degree in two years, half the time it typically takes adults, per KTLA.
Discussing her incredible track record of achievement with KTLA, she explained she has grown accustomed to being younger than most of her peers.
“Even in middle and high school, I was younger than everyone else, so I was kind of used to it already,” she said.
“She actually took charge of some of the group work,” her father recalled, per KTLA. “She was leading the groups and the projects with other students who were older than her.”
KTLA noted that the multitalented teenager intends to pursue a career in sports medicine at some point in the future.
For all she has achieved so far, it is clear Emily has extraordinary things ahead of her in the years to come.
“Every day I tell her just believe it and look what you accomplished so far and there’s so much more ahead,” her mom said, per KTLA.
Emily will soon join the company of other precocious high achievers who graduated from her alma mater at remarkably young ages.
In 2017, an 18-year-old graduated from UCLA, the university announced at the time. In 2013, a UCLA student graduated at just 15, NBC Los Angeles reported.