11-year-old California high school graduate has one piece of advice: ‘Never give up’

Eleven-year-old Athena Elling’s gown and biretta may be much smaller than those of most of her classmates who graduate from college on Thursday, but her diploma is a really big achievement.

Along with the graduates, most of whom are between 19 and 21 years old, Athena walked across the stage to receive her diploma from Irvine Valley College in Irvine, Calif., on Thursday evening. She graduated with honors and an associate degree in liberal arts.

Athena’s mother, Christina Chow, told USA TODAY before the graduation ceremony that attending the community college allowed her daughter to pursue a wide range of interests.

“Last year she wanted to be a divorce lawyer, an allergist and an actor,” Chow said. “We tried not to say no to anything she expressed interest in.”

The Elling family ranks first and second in the youngest graduate category

This isn’t the first time the Elling family has had a much younger graduate from Irvine Valley College.

Athena’s brother, Tycho Elling, set a record for youngest graduate of an Orange County community college a year ago, also at age 11.

Naturally, a bit of sibling rivalry prompted Athena to defeat her older brother.

“My brother also graduated from AA just a few days before he turned 12, and when he did, I really wanted to do it too,” Elling said

The family consulted with college advisors and determined that she could complete her liberal arts degree in time to set a new record.

Chow described Tycho, who is currently attending the University of California, Irvine, as a “hyper-focused” person and Athena as a natural extrovert.

Atena has a second degree black belt in taekwondo and outside of college she studies acting and dance.

“We were lucky that she had so many interests because, you know, her taekwondo classmates, her classmates are her age, her dance classmates are her age,” Chow said. “The fact that she had so many additional interests outside of class was really a blessing.”

The college atmosphere provides world-class exposure

Athena told USA TODAY she appreciated the value of learning from college students who had a variety of motivations for pursuing their education.

“I love watching them attend classes, simply because they really enjoy the subjects,” she said. “I can learn so much from them because they always know so much more.”

Chow noted that exposure to multiple generations of students allowed Elling to draw lessons that extended beyond the classroom.

The young graduate gives advice

Thursday’s ceremony won’t be the last time Athena graces the Irvine Valley College campus. The graduate told USA TODAY she plans to complete many more degrees

“She emailed me and also asked her advisor if she could get her credit limit waived,” Chow said. “She said that now that she has a degree, it doesn’t prove she can handle the job. She wanted to take more diverse classes and get more credits even during the summer.”

When asked if she had any advice for the much older graduating class of 2024, Athena simply replied, “Just never give up.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 11-year-old girl graduates from Southern California college