Tristan Andrade started taking online college courses when he was in sixth grade.
Now, the 17-year-old Arizona boy is slated to graduate from high school this month with his diploma – and three college degrees, ABC News reported.
By the time he was in still in middle school, Andrade joined a program offered by Estrella Mountain Community College, and took college classes online and in person while he finished his home-school high school curriculum.
“It would save me years of time and money and really helped me pursue my interests faster,” Andrade told Good Morning America.
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A ‘very unique’ story
Rey Rivera, the president of Estrella Mountain Community College, told Good Morning America although there are some 1,500 students who participate in the community college’s early college programs Tristan’s story is a “very unique” one.
“We’re extremely proud of Tristan,” Rivera told the outlet. “I’ve heard of cases where students have certainly completed an associate’s degree while in high school. It’s just the number− having three associate’s − that’s not really common.”
The teen plans to graduate Friday with associate’s degrees in artificial intelligence, computer science and mathematics.
“AI is definitely my favorite because it’s my passion and it’s the field that I hope to go into,” he told GMA.
Natalie Neysa Alund covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.