Jack Rico made headlines at the age of 14 for earning four associateโs degrees at Fullerton College. Heโs now 15 and Jack has made the news again. This time for being the youngest graduate in the University of Nevadaโs 64-year history.
The young prodigy continues to stun and amaze many others but he doesnโt get treated like a celebrity by his peers.
โEvery now and then, Iโll get like a shocking reaction from someone, but most of my classmates are really accepting of me,โ Jack said. โThey donโt treat me as a kid, they treat me as an equal.โ
Jack attended public school from kindergarten until the third grade. He actually failed the Common Core State Standards learning system when it was introduced.
He requested to be homeschooled which his family did for him.
โNo one child is the same, in that some kids thrive in a public school setting; others thrive in a homeschool setting, and I feel like it should be the kidโs choice,โ Jack shares. โThey should look into what is best for them and their education.โ
It was then that, Ru Andrade, Jackโs mom, realized her son was a genius. And it only took 3 years.
โAt 11, he was smarter than me. I knew that I had given him everything I had, and that he probably needed better teachers,โ she said.
Thatโs how Jack began studying at Fullerton College. He was only 11 when he passed the entrance exam.
Jack graduated with four associateโs degrees in social sciences, history, social behavior, and arts and human expression. He also maintained a 4.0 GPA all throughout making him the youngest student to do so in Fullerton Collegeโs 107-year-old history.
Jack showed signs of high intelligence at a really young age. He wanted to see the White House for his 4th birthday, so his parents made a deal with him that if he memorized all the names of the US presidents, he could go.
He did. Then he recited the names of all the vice presidents.
So on a full scholarship, Jack went for a bachelorโs degree in history at UNLV. Jack walked to the stage on December 14 to receive his diploma, once again being the youngest graduate.
And with a 3.78 GPA.
Jack describes his experience as โsadโ but โrelievingโ. With five college degrees under his belt, heโs still got plans for the future. Jack just needs more time.
โI want to get my masterโs, but I donโt know what I want to get it in. I donโt plan on getting it in history, so I want to audit some courses, discover some of my other interests and see what I want to do with my masters.โ
Jack is thinking of taking computer science and business classes at UNLV while he bids his time.
Jack is like any regular teenager. When heโs not studying, he spends time with his family and friends. Jack is also into writing screenplays. So watch out for this young prodigy.
Hit play below for more on Jack!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
