An exceptional 14-year-old named Mike Wimmer has bagged a degree from Carolina University in the United States while heading two tech companies as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Mike Wimmer is a Mensa (IQ society) member from Salisbury, North Carolina, United States. He graduated from Carolina University with a degree in Computer Science.
Before completing his associate’s and bachelor’s degrees, Mike emerged as the best-graduating student in high and was awarded as valedictorian. He achieved all these successes in the space of three years while he was running his two tech companies.
Mike says he plans to establish another company which would be commissioned by the US Military for his artificial intelligence and machine learning expertise. He also works with Atlantic Lion Share, a Bermuda-based organization aiming to protect underwater ecosystems by regulating the invasive lionfish species.
Despite having a lot on his table at a young age, Mike says it doesn’t affect his fun times as a teenager, he still plays car racing simulation games with friends, goes swimming, playing basketball or building Legos like every young boy.
“People think, ‘Oh, you’ve not had a 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood. You didn’t do XYZ.’ And that’s not true, I did everything a normal high schooler did, I did everything a normal middle schooler did. I’m still a kid,” Mike said.
According to CNBC, Mike claims his hobbies might be seen as a mere distraction to his work but he sees it differently as they are more helpful to his productivity than anything else. He holds a “Class A license” in an online game called iRacing, where he takes work breaks together with his friends.
“To be good at it, you have to forget everything else and put your total focus on it, If I’ve been working on school or working on projects or anything else, I can just go up there and completely clear my mind,” Mike said.
Before Mike entered preschool, his intelligence was tested and the 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 psychologist told his parents that he exceeded her IQ scale. Since then, he’s been on an intellectual development fast track, skipping grades and completing a yearlong curricular within months.
He mentioned that his parents have never pressured him into learning, that they let him be the kid that he is.
“That is the one thing my parents have made me do, make sure I’m still a kid. By playing video games or discussing car racing with my friends, I stay grounded in the fact that I’m still 14 years,’’ Mike said.
Mike plans to jump back into his businesses, especially the lionfish project in Bermuda after his graduation celebration. He has developed an AI system named ALFREDD that helps Atlantic Lion share’s “Reef Sweeper” machine, which is equipped with cameras and harpoons, to automatically identify and hunt invasive lionfish.
“I’m super excited about it. I’m going to have a lot of fun and get to spend some time in Bermuda, hopefully, and continue to explore the other opportunities for continuing my education as well in the future,” Mike said.
