BENSALEM, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — Look out, "Young Sheldon." A 9-year-old Bucks County boy is headed to college with big plans for the future.
David Balogun of Bensalem recently received his high school diploma by taking classes remotely at Harrisburg-based Reach Cyber Charter School.
The young graduate has an eye toward pursuing science. “I like chemistry,” he said, “especially nuclear chemistry.”
His parents, Ronya and Henry, both have advanced degrees. Still, they say keeping up with their son keeps them on their toes. “He’s part of MENSA,” his mother said.
Despite his intellectual gifts and accomplishments, he manages to stay humble. “I think that there are a lot of people out there who can do what I do. But they don’t have the opportunities and the resources,” he said.
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For Balogun, a student’s chances of success come from figuring out how they learn best. “A lot of gifted kids drop out of high school because they are very bored,” he explained. “You want to make sure they can learn the way that’s suitable for gifted kids.”
He says his parents understood he needed to be challenged, and he credits them for his success, along with his school and his faith.
Now they’re looking into Ivy League schools like Penn, Harvard and Princeton, while Balogun says he’s considering majoring in engineering — both mechanical and chemical — while also studying astrophysics.