Tanishq Abraham has quite the knack for understatement.
Last year, graduating with a 4.0 and three associate’s degrees from American River College in California, he said, “This isn’t much of a big deal to me.”
This year, after learning that he’d been accepted to the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the University of California, Davis, he told NBC, “I’m pretty excited.”
“I’ve been waiting for this for quite some time now,” Abraham continued. “I’ll finally be working on my bachelor’s. It’s very exciting.”
Abraham, who plans to study bio-engineering, joined MENSA at 4 years old. He’s still undecided between the two schools, though UC Santa Cruz has offered him a Regents Scholarship, the highest honor awarded to incoming student. He’ll be coming in as a junior, thanks to his credits from American River, but he’s not necessarily worried about fitting in with older students. “Based on my experiences with ARC, at first, they’re a little confused. But once they get used to me, they don’t treat that differently,” he said. “We’re all just friends and have fun.”
In his spare time, Abraham enjoys Twitter and playing video games with his sister Tiara, 10, who also happens to be something of a prodigy. She’s a fellow MENSA member who sang at Carnegie Hall in 2015.
For Tanishqh, the sky’s the limit: He’s given a TEDx Talk, spoken at a NASA conference and been interviewed by Conan O’Brien. His future plans include a doctorate, some time as a medical researcher, and eventually, the Presidency of the United States.
“I think if he puts his mind to it, he can achieve whatever he wants,” father Bijou Abraham told NBC News. We’re inclined to agree.
This article originally appeared on People.com
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Donald Trump Is TIME's 2024 Person of the Year
- Why We Chose Trump as Person of the Year
- Is Intermittent Fasting Good or Bad for You?
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- The 20 Best Christmas TV Episodes
- Column: If Optimism Feels Ridiculous Now, Try Hope
- The Future of Climate Action Is Trade Policy
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com