Teen who has two degrees, flies planes and works at NASA claims he ‘isn’t that special’

09 Nov 2015

A seventeen year old from San Gabriel, California, already holds two college degrees, flies planes and works for NASA.

At one time, the seventeen year old was the youngest college student in the whole of the United States, attending East Los Angeles College when he was eight years old and graduating with a GPA of 4.0.

Despite being too young to vote, Moshe Kai Cavalin graduated from community college at the age of 11. Just four years later at the age of 15, Cavalin achieved a Bachelor’s degree in Maths from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Between all of this, Cavalin also wrote his bestselling autobiography, We Can Do, when he was nine years old.

Earlier this year, Cavalin began taking classes in Cybersecurity to work towards his Master’s at Boston’s Brandeis University.

However, the young prodigy decided to put his latest academic pursuit on hold while he takes time out to help NASA develop surveillance technology for airplanes and drones.

17-year-old works for NASA, flies planes and has a UCLA degree. What did you do today? https://t.co/0hjoEHfKLO pic.twitter.com/wizZqdcMaG

— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) November 2, 2015

The young man was initially rejected by the aerospace giant, but they later called him back, claiming his work was perfect for “an intern who knew software and knew mathematical algorithms,” according to his boss, Ricardo Arteaga, who later added, “I also needed a pilot who could fly it on a Cessna.”

Cavalin also plans to become a fully-qualified pilot by the end of the year, working towards his license despite being too young to drive a car unaccompanied.

By no means is that the end of the young graduate’s feats; he has just published his second book, drawn from the stories he’d heard from others and his personal experience of being bullied. As well as this, his family home near Los Angeles is packed full of trophies he’s won at various martial arts competitions.

“My case isn’t that special,” said Cavalin, “It’s just a combination of parenting and motivation and inspiration. I tend not to compare myself that often with other people. I just try to do the best I can.”

Cavalin maintains that he is an ordinary young man, crediting his Taiwanese mother and Brazilian father for providing years of supportive instruction which they balanced by granting him freedom to choose his own extra-curricular activities.

His parents claim he was always good at studying, highlighting that at just four months old, their son pointed to a jet in the sky and said the Chinese word for airplane – which was in fact his very first word.

Cavalin’s parents decided he should be home schooled after public schools claimed he would be a distraction to other students. Once they had taught him all that they could, their son transferred to his local community college.

“I think most people just think he’s a genius, they can’t believe it comes naturally,” said Daniel Judge, a Professor of Mathematics who taught Cavalin throughout his time at East Los Angeles College, “He actually worked harder than, I think, any other student I’ve ever had.”

Image via APimages.