A 10-year-old California girl has already added “college student” to her list of accomplishments — as the whiz kid fourth-grader wraps up her first course at San Bernardino Valley College.
The skillful student, Honey Cooper, is taking ART 120 — a two-dimensional design class that earns her four college credits — as part of a dual-enrollment program.
Sandra Rodriguez, assistant superintendent for student services at the San Bernardino City Unified School District, told the Los Angeles Times that she has had a front-row seat to Honey’s talents for years — and has kept a close eye on her.
“She could be the kid who could be a doctor by 20,” the educator said.
When Rodriguez read a news article about another San Bernardino 10-year-old who had graduated from community college, she picked up the phone and called the chancellor of the San Bernardino Community College District.
Dual enrollment is usually reserved for high schoolers, but Honey was given the life-changing opportunity.
“Any student regardless of age can petition for admission as a special admit with parental permission and demonstrated academic readiness,” Paul Bratulin, director of marketing and public relations at San Bernardino Valley College, told the Times.
“It is rare, but it does happen.”
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Honey’s beaming mother, Mia Cooper, said her daughter was ready for the challenge.
“Even though they might be young, they still always need to be challenged,” she told the outlet.
“And this is a new way for them to be challenged.”
The principal of Kimbark Elementary in Devore, where Honey goes to school, told KABC that the 10-year-old’s achievement is creating new opportunities for other young learners.
“It’s extremely rare. And so what I love about Honey doing this and starting this is she’s paving the way,” Brittany Zuniga said.
“She’s opening the doors for everybody else, because I think so many of us didn’t even think that this was a possibility, didn’t even think that it was something that could be done — an elementary student enrolling dually in college.”
Zuniga added to KTLA: “She is very, very, very brilliant. She is dedicated. She is passionate. She loves learning.”
Honey hopes that her journey will inspire others.
“This can help kids, parents, and even teachers to help, so anyone can do what I’m doing right now,” she said.
“It really is a lot, but if you really balance it, it can go really smoothly.”
When she grows up, Honey hopes to become a “surgeon, an artist, or a fashion designer.”
