To be young, Black and gifted!
While most kids are preparing to go to middle school at 13-year-old, Caleb Anderson is hitting the books big time at Georgia Tech, where he is a sophomore studying aerospace engineering.
AfroTech previously told you Anderson was attending Chattahoochee Technical College (also located in Georgia) and was on track to graduate in two years. However, his parents thought it would be best that he attend the perfect university that would challenge him.
Caleb Anderson has been a whiz kid since before he got here, but he gives praises to his parents for fueling his love for learning over the years.
“I’ve had a love for learning for a while and I think every child really does have that,” shared Anderson in an exclusive interview with AfroTech. “I think my parents are the ones who really cultivated it and taught me how to use that love for learning and from there [that’s where] I got interested in science, technology, engineering and math.”
The Georgia native hopped on Zoom with AfroTech straight from Georgia Tech’s campus to bring us into his world.
1. On The Highs & Lows Of Attending College At A Young Age
“I’m sort of getting to know my way around campus because you know, it’s a very intimidating place,” he continued. “There’s a lot of people here, but I’m getting a good schedule in place and navigating my way through school.”
He shares that the only low is that he didn’t perform as well on his first exam as he would have liked, but there’s always room for growth.
“My low so far is that I didn’t do really well on my first test,” Anderson said. “So, I think that’s sort of a place where I need to learn and grow.”
2. His Dream Job
Anderson is studying aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech, which is probably why his dream job is to help others be out of this world.
“A dream job for me would be to build my own company for people who are like me, but don’t have the same financial opportunities and people who are like me, but aren’t always chosen or picked for the jobs that they really want,” he said. “I want to take these very intelligent people and build an empire with them.”
3. On Staying Grounded & Remaining A Kid
Even though Anderson is in college during his middle school years, he still does what he needs to do to remain grounded.
“I usually keep Saturdays off to myself to not do anything,” he said. “You know, even normal college kids or everyone needs time to just take a break for themselves because you need to sleep, you need to eat and you need to relax. School is very important, but it can’t consume your whole life.”
In his free time, Anderson enjoys spending time with friends and vacationing among many other things.
“I definitely like hanging out with my friends and vacationing is something else that I really enjoy,” he continued. “I like Marvel movies too.”
As you should, Caleb! We wish you the best of luck on your journey toward aerospace engineering.
