His oldest sister is his biggest motivator!
Meet the Oklahoma kid who just became OKC’s youngest Black college student at 12 years old, Black Enterprise reports.
Elijah Muhammad Jr., who was being home-schooled as a high school senior, is now joining a long list of young people who are seeking higher education early. His path is similar to students like Nehemiah Juniel, who is Sam Houston State University’s youngest graduate, Elijah Precciely, who’s on track to finish college at 14 years old, and Salenah Cartier, who made history when she became University of Houston’s youngest graduate for Fall 2020 at 17 years old. Last month, Elijah enrolled in Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC), making history as the youngest Black college student in the state of Oklahoma.
Muhammad Jr. is currently taking three college courses to obtain his degree in cyber security: Computer Hardware, Intro to Computer Technology, and Computer Operating Systems. On his first day of class, he had all his classmates intrigued. “A bunch of them were like, ‘how old are you?’” Muhammad told KFOR News. “Once I told them my age, they were all surprised.” Along with being a young scholar, he is also a three-time state champion wrestler and an entrepreneur, starting his own clothing line called Smart Boy. After graduating from OCCC, he plans to attend an HBCU.
But he isn’t the only person in the family overachieving! His older sister, Shania Muhammad, became the youngest person to enroll at OCCC when she was just 13. “You don’t have to go through all 12 grades to be at a collegiate level,” Shania explained. At 14, she went on to become the state’s youngest college graduate with an associate degree from Langston University and Oklahoma City Community College. Their mother, Atashia Muhammad, who is an associate professor at Langston University, was present at the graduation to award her daughter with her degree. She describes the day as a special moment.
What’s a sibling relationship without a little rivalry? “We have a bunch of competitiveness, but she really helps me out with a lot of my studying,” Muhammad Jr. told the news channel. Although there’s competition, his older sister is also a big motivator. Their father, Elijah Muhammad Sr., says, “When he sees her accomplish certain things, he’s like ‘I’m up next and I can do it.’”
Keep shooting for the stars, Elijah!
Photo: Elijah Muhammad Sr./KFOR