A 13-year-old boy from Long Island, New York, Joe Petraro-Hyppolite, is set to begin a master’s degree at New York University next year, according to CBS News.
Petraro-Hyppolite, who has an IQ of 168, is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree and is expected to graduate in May 2027.
The teenager has achieved several academic milestones at an unusually young age. He scored 1,590 on the SAT at age 10 and earned his high school diploma at 11.
He has also attended Louisiana State University and currently studies alongside students considerably older than him.
Petraro-Hyppolite said he had been accepted into an NYU master’s programme in sports management, with additional studies in kinesiology and biology.
“My master’s is going to be sports management, but other than that, it’s also kinesiology and biology,” he said.
Speaking about the next stage of his education, the teenager admitted that he was nervous but excited about the opportunities ahead.
“Yeah, I mean, who wouldn’t be? But then again, I am also excited, because new doors are opening,” he said.
Petraro-Hyppolite said some of his fellow students are surprised when they discover his age.
His mother, Anne Petraro-Hyppolite, said her son’s academic achievements were especially remarkable because he had previously been placed in special education classes after being diagnosed with Tourette syndrome.
“It’s just surreal. When he graduated high school so young, it was surreal, but this is … everything he does is surreal. He just loves to learn. He is like a sponge,” she said.
Despite his academic abilities, Petraro-Hyppolite said his achievements have not come without effort.
“It’s not like I was shot out the womb knowing everything I know. I have to learn it once or twice. Then I’ll know,” he said.
Outside academics, the teenager volunteers at a nursing home in the Five Towns area of Long Island, where he helps residents.
He said he eventually hopes to pursue a career in palaeontology.
If he completes his master’s programme as planned, Petraro-Hyppolite will graduate at about the same time he becomes legally eligible to drive.