9-year-old prodigy ‘youngest university graduate in the world’
A nine-year-old genius from Belgium, Laurent Simons is next month set to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.
The boy, who is currently enrolled at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TUE) in the Netherlands, was allowed to complete his course faster than other students.
In an interview with CNN, his father Alexander Simons said the prodigy plans to enroll for a Ph.D. program in the same subject while also studying for a Medicine degree.
Laurent hails from a family of doctors and his family had initially dismissed claims from his grandparents that he is a genius until teachers confirmed it.
“Laurent is the fastest student we have ever had here, not only is he hyper-intelligent but also a very sympathetic boy,” Sjoerd Hulshof, TUE director at the Electrical Engineering Department said in a statement.
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The minor is already being sought by prestigious universities around the world that have been monitoring his progress.
Although Laurent is able to learn fast, his parents say they are being careful about letting him enjoy himself too.
“We don’t want him to get too serious. He does whatever he likes. We need to find a balance between being a child and his talents,” his father said.
Unlike other children of his age, Laurent, who said he enjoys playing with his dog Sammy and playing on his phone, already knows want he wants to do with his life: Develop artificial organs.
It’s almost crunch time to make a decision about where Laurent will be off to next. He has hopes, he told The Telegraph, of becoming an astronaut or heart surgeon.
He plans to take a vacation to Japan for a break after he graduates.