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11-year-old prodigy starts classes at Southern University
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BATON ROUGE - You may remember 11-year-old Elijah Precciely when WBRZ introduced him last year as a child prodigy—the youngest person ever to receive a full-ride scholarship to Southern University.
Majoring in physics, he started his full semester at the school this week. And he’s already making waves on campus.
“I’m very excited,” Elijah said. “I’ve been waiting on this for long, long time.”
Although he’s much younger than traditional undergraduates, Elijah stands out on the social scene, but still blends in with other students.
“This is my environment,” he said. “I love to be up here on campus. I love to learn. But what really strikes me is when some people think I’m 15. Either I'm a tall 11-year-old, or a short 15-year-old,” he joked.
Naturally, fellow students are stunned by Elijah’s accomplishments.
“He knew way more than a lot of the students,” classmate Mubashar Ali said.
Although Elijah is a genius, the university says he still needs support, as well as plenty of guidance.
Dr. Manicia Gene Finch is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management. She believes Elijah is going to do great things at Southern.
“He’s more than just a prodigy,” Dr. Finch told WBRZ. “I think he is a young gentleman and a man of the Holy Spirit, and he’s going to fit just as well as he already does here at Southern University.”
As for Elijah’s mindset—he says he’s ready.
“You have to have a mindset to actually know ‘Hey I have to learn this, my life depends on it.’ Act like your life depends on it because it does. When you learn, you increase your life,” he added.
In addition, Elijah still runs his weekly radio show, and plans to bring new programs and organizations to the university’s community.
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