For Immediate Release
February 13, 2008

Redwood City Student Takes First College Class at Age 13, Shoots for Engineering Degree by the Time he Graduates from High School

Home-schooled student started with political science, now he’s taking 17 units a semester.

Graham Garvin took his first college class, political science, when he was 13-years-old. His mother accompanied him to class. Today, two years later, he’s taking 17 college units a semester and is aiming to earn a college degree in engineering by the time he graduates from high school.

“When I took my first college class in political science my mom took it with me,” said Graham Garvin. “My dad took Spanish with me my first two semesters. Now, I like to take classes on my own.”

His parents, Darrah and Royce Garvin, said they are proud of his academic ambitions. “Graham is better than a ‘good son,’…he is an absolute joy,” said Darrah Garvin.

Garvin is concurrently enrolled in both high school and college courses at Cañada College in Redwood City. Concurrent enrollment gives him the opportunity to earn credits towards finishing his high school diploma at the same time he earns college credits towards his associate’s degree in engineering.

“Graham is an excellent student and works very hard outside of class,” said Cathy Lipe, director of the Cañada College Math, Engineering, Science, Achievement (MESA) Program. “I don’t think most of his classmates know how young he is.”

Garvin was recently selected to participate in the UC Davis Center for Biophotonics Science & Technology Winter Internship for Community College Students. Garvin was teamed with 14 community college students from around the state for two weeks of intensive work designed to expose students to the rigors of scientific research.

“It was a great experience because it taught us how to conduct scientific research,” he said. “I was the youngest person there but that was no surprise because I’m almost always the youngest person in everything I do. Most of the students were involved in pre-med. There was one bio-engineering student and I was the only engineering student.”

Garvin estimates that he’s still four semesters away from finishing his engineering degree but he’s already looking at his transfer options. “I’m looking at UC Berkeley because it is the top-rated school in the country for environmental engineering and UC Davis is not far behind. But I’m leaving myself room to change interests since I’m only 15,” he said.

For more information, contact Robert Hood, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, at hoodr@smccd.edu or 306-3340