This education was accelerated at hyper-speed.
As Shakespeare wrote “King Lear” during a bubonic plague outbreak, so did this young genius nab not one but two degrees at warp speed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mike Wimmer, of Salisbury, North Carolina, is just 12 but on May 21, he is set to graduate from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College — followed by his graduation from Concord Academy High School a week later.
“If one door’s locked, he’ll find out another way around to figure out how to accomplish his goals,” his mother, Melissa Wimmer, told CNN of her son, who decided to enroll in additional courses at school when COVID-19 hit and he found himself with newfound downtime.
A year later, the extra courses have seriously paid off, as Mike has earned enough credits to graduate from both the high school and associate’s degree portions of his dual enrollment program. He didn’t intend for the timeline, he told CNN, but when he realized he was only a few classes away from graduating, he became even further motivated to complete his degrees.
Mike didn’t compromise his grades for speedier graduation: The prodigy finished college with a 4.0 GPA and high school with a 5.45 — making him valedictorian.
Socially, he has also managed to thrive.
“A lot of people think I’ve given up my childhood or somehow lost it, and I say to them that I’m having the time of my life,” said Mike, who enjoys building Lego sets and playing basketball. Last year, his classmates nominated him to Homecoming Court.
As for what’s next, he’s got an array of options, including various job offers, a fellowship and a growing startup called Reflect Social.
“My entrepreneurial goal is to build technology that enables people to live better lives,” he said.
