Jay Luo, a 12-year-old from Boise, Idaho, had his name entered in the record books last Sunday by becoming the youngest person in United States history to receive a degree from a college or university.
Jay, who received his degree in mathematics with honors from Boise State University, plans to begin graduate studies at Stanford University later this year, according to William Mech, the young man’s mentor at the university.
“In many respects, Jay is much more typical than one would be lead to believe on first impression,” said Mr. Mech, who is the immediate past president of the National Collegiate Honors Council. “Most faculty members who have come in contact with him feel that he will succeed at Stanford.”
Mr. Mech said he is concerned that in the future too much attention may drawn to Jay’s academic ability, both by his professors and by himself. “He faces the risk of having Jay Luo, bound for Stanford
people expect so much of him that, after a certain point, anything less than spectacular might be considered a failure,” Mr. Mech explained.
