You would think that a 13 year old who is already a sophomore in college wouldn’t mind taking a little extra time to finish his undergraduate degree, but then again, you haven’t met Colin Carlson yet. The 13 year old sophomore at the University of Connecticut is upset that the school won’t let him enroll in a class that includes summer field work in South Africa. ”I’m losing time in my four-year plan for college,” Colin says. ”They’re upsetting the framework of one of my majors.”
Michael Kirk, a spokesman for UConn, would not comment specifically on the case but he told the AP that generally safety is the university’s first concern when travel is involved. Colin and his mother, Jessica Offir, understand the concerns. However, they feel that Jessica’s offer to sign a waiver excusing the university for liability for Colin and to accompany her son on the trip should satisfy UConn’s concerns for Colin’s safety. So Colin has filed an age discrimination claim with the university and the U.S. Department of Education, which is investigating.
Colin was reading before he turned three and read “Harry Potter” by the time he was four years old. He faced a lot of ridicule, even in kindergarten, for being so different from his classmates. Colin started taking courses at UConn when he was nine. Two years later he had given up on public schools and graduated from Stanford University Online High School. Soon after he enrolled full time at UConn. Colin has always been fascinated with nature and ecosystems. He’s also traveled extensively, “It’s important to have a very wide world view,” says the precocious 13 year old, “biology is fundamentally about the diversity of life, with a focus across the planet.”
Colin looks forward to finishing his undergraduate studies and moving on to a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology and a degree in environmental law for a career in conservation science. He intends to have both of those degrees before he’s 22 and he’s not going to let UConn’s fears about his age hold him back.
Image: (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
