This 12-year-old prodigy is heading to a university, hopes to work for NASA by age 16

This 12-year-old prodigy is heading to a university, hopes to work for NASA by age 16

Alena's talent for learning things quickly was first noticed by her mother, Daphne McQuarter.

What were you doing at the age of 12? Attending regular school, doing your homework, indulging in some extra-curricular activities, and not even thinking about which university you want to join once you graduate.

In other words, the planning for higher studies comes a little later in life for most 12-year-olds in the world.

But not for Alena Wicker. She is not just thinking about university studies at the age of 12, she is about to join one because of her talents.

Alena, who hails from Arizona, has already completed her full high-school through homeschooling and will begin her college education at the Arizona State University later this year, according to ABC News.

The 12-year-old hopes to work for NASA by age 16. Currently, she plans to study astronomical and planetary sciences and chemistry.

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"I'll be driving one of those future space mobiles by the time I graduate college. It doesn't matter what your age or what you're planning to do. Go for it, dream, then accomplish it," Alena told ABC News,

“It doesn’t matter what your age or what you’re planning to do. Go for it, dream, then accomplish it.” She added.

Alena said she was inspired by NASA after watching the recent landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars.

Alena's talent for learning things quickly was first noticed by her mother, Daphne McQuarter.

After noticing that her daughter had learned the entire school curriculum in a quick time, she started believing that she is destined to do great things.

"At 4 years old, she said, 'Mommy, I'm going to work for NASA, and I'm going to go up there.' She would point to the stars. She just had a gift for numbers and LEGOs and science, so I started nurturing that gift," said Daphne.

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Now, the 12-year-old is planning to start a podcast to build her profile for a NASA job.

Micheal Kearney is the current record holder for the youngest person to ever graduate from college. He was just 10 years old when he got his Bachelors's degree in Anthropology.

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