--- title: California: 11-Year-Old Graduates from American River College description: Tanishq Abraham obtained a 4.0 and three associate's degrees in one year. canonical: https://time.com/3893368/11-year-old-college-grad/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-21T23:22:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:08:04.911Z og:title: 11-Year-Old College Grad Says 'This Isn't Much of a Big Deal to Me' og:description: Tanishq Abraham obtained a 4.0 and three associate's degrees in one year og:url: https://time.com/3893368/11-year-old-college-grad/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt515e6a0ca962b739/6988514a06f2c1277a33a4d8/79325731-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=507&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 507 og:image:height: 285 og:image:alt: scroll-graduating-cap og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 11-Year-Old College Grad Says 'This Isn't Much of a Big Deal to Me' twitter:description: Tanishq Abraham obtained a 4.0 and three associate's degrees in one year twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt515e6a0ca962b739/6988514a06f2c1277a33a4d8/79325731-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=507&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 11-Year-Old College Grad Says 'This Isn't Much of a Big Deal to Me' > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=ca83a9b0-9427-45f5-aa2c-dcf7eeacdb13&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Best Graduation Advice from Commencement Speeches [Watch (HLS stream): Best Graduation Advice from Commencement Speeches](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ILvXQw25.m3u8) (2:32)  _Published 2015-05-21. The best words of wisdom from this year's commencement speeches_ by [Andrea Park / People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Andrea Park / People Contributor May 21, 2015 11:22 PM UTC by [Andrea Park / People](https://time.com/author/people/) ## Andrea Park / People Contributor May 21, 2015 11:22 PM UTC Tanishq Abraham, 11, graduated from American River College in Sacramento, California, on Wednesday, [KCRA Sacramento](http://www.kcra.com/news/at-11-student-crosses-stage-at-american-river-college/33140082) reports. “This isn’t much of a big deal to me,” said Abraham, who graduated with a 4.0 and three associate’s degrees just one year after [_Today_](http://www.today.com/news/meet-10-year-old-prodigy-who-just-graduated-high-school-2D79795436) reported that he had successfully completed California’s early-exit high school exam. Although Abraham said some of his fellow graduates were “intimidated” by him, “a lot were really happy that there was a kid in their class.” He crossed the stage wearing a colorful scarf knit by his grandmother. Fittingly, “2 Infinity and Beyond” was written on top of his cap. ARC officials aren’t yet completely positive that Abraham is the school’s youngest graduate ever, but “he was definitely the youngest this year,” college spokesman Scott Crow told [NBC Bay Area](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/11-year-old-tanishq-abraham-graduates-california-college-n362706). The whiz kid joined Mensa International at the age of 4 and began taking classes at ARC when he was 7\. Abraham’s 9-year-old sister Tiara is on a similarly prodigious path: She’s also a member of Mensa and started taking college classes at age 7, too. Their mother Taji told KCRA that “even in kindergarten \[Tanishq\] was pretty ahead, a few years ahead – and then it just went from there.” Next up for Abraham: getting his M.D. He told KCRA that he wants to become a doctor and medical researcher and, eventually, the president of the United States. He echoed these plans on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/iScienceLuvr) on Wednesday, adding that he hopes to earn a Nobel Prize along the way. > [](https://twitter.com/iScienceLuvr/status/601435339849236480) _This_ [_article_](http://www.people.com/article/tanishq-abraham-graduates-american-river-college-age-11) _originally appeared on_ [_People.com_](http://www.people.com)_._ ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] You will soon realize that graduation is one of the five great milestones of life. The others being birth, death, marriage and the day you finally pay off your student loan You are holding in your hand an idea that is so big we cannot yet see the end of it. The digital age created by people your age. Old, unconventional, useful, and just getting started. Those of you who are graduating this afternoon with high honors awards and distinctions. I say well done. And as I like to tell the C students, you too can be president. [ APPLAUSE ] You will compete in a global workplace, shop in a global marketplace, and travel further and more often than any prior generation. Just add bravery. To me, being brave means that even when you know an action can end very badly, you still forge ahead. It's a luck man or woman gets up in the morning, puts both feet on the floor, knows what they're about to do And thinks it still matters. You should know that sometimes your passion finds you. That's exactly what happened to me. You've seen a lot of the perils of this economy first hand. How good jobs and entire industries can vanish. But instead of looking backwards you looked forward. You saw doors of opportunity waiting to be opened. Of course we mustn't forget the parents, who to get you students to this day, have sacrificed so many things, primarily money. I'm sure there are other things they sacrificed, but I'm gonna guess that money's the one they bring up most often. I want you all to say true to the most real, most sincere Most authentic parts of yourselves. I want you to ask those basic questions. Who do you wanna be? What inspires you? That your passion may be hard to spot, so keep an open mind. And then keep searching. And when you find your passion, it is yours. 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