DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - When a 16-year-old student walks across the stage to graduate Friday, she will not be picking up her high school diploma. Instead, she will be getting two bachelor’s degrees.
She’s not your average teenager. While most 16-year-olds are getting their driver’s license, Mya Abdulahad will be graduating from college.
“It sounds crazy, but it’s actually a pretty normal feeling for me because for the past eight years, I’ve always been around six years ahead,” Abdulahad said.
Mya is the youngest person in Nova Southeastern University’s history to graduate with two bachelor’s degrees in biology and marine biology. She also has a minor in psychology.
The teen started her college career when she was only 12 years old.
“What I found other than being quiet and sort of what you expect for a teenager that was six years younger than all of her other compatriots in class is she’s incredibly hardworking, she’s dedicated, she’s diligent,” said Nova professor Amy Hirons.
Mya credits her mom for starting to teach her at a very young age, her passion for academics and her gift for grasping what she was taught.
“When I was first starting high school, I was 8 at the time, and knowing other kids who were also freshmen in high school then seeing that they were like 14 or 15, it actually hit me that I was ahead,” Mya said.
While Mya’s professor says she’s got a gift, she said there’s a lot of hard work and countless hours the teen put in that has brought her this far.
“Mya is very advanced in many aspects of her life and in other aspects, she’s still just a teenager,” Hirons said.
“Even though I am advanced academically, I always keep in mind that I am 16, so obviously, I still have to get my learner’s permit, and I have to wait a couple years to go and do that kind of stuff, but I obviously feel like I’ve had so many opportunities to pursue different things,” Mya said.
Mya said she plans to head right back into the classroom in the fall as she studies for her master’s degree. She says one day, she hopes to work with wildlife as a veterinarian.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.