Picture, for a moment, your stereotypical genius: a socially awkward, absent-minded, emotionally stunted loner sitting in the dark, surrounded by books. Santiago Canyon College student Harris Young doesn’t just break that nerdy stereotype; he completely obliterates it.
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Graduating this month with an associate degree in social and behavioral sciences, Young has maintained a 4.0 GPA since he first began taking classes at SCC in 2024. And here’s the kicker: He’s only 15 years old.
Although Young was deemed “profoundly gifted” — those are folks among the top 99.9 percentile in IQ — this humble, articulate young man lives a well-rounded life, volunteering, excelling in athletics and even embracing a leadership position at SCC.
Young’s path to college had a few speed bumps, however.
“School was always easy for me, but I was really bored,” he said. “I tried public school, then a charter school and, starting in fourth grade, a private school. But none of them were the right fit. I’ve always loved to learn, but I wanted to be challenged with more advanced material.” So he and his parents tried a new approach. “They helped me transition to homeschooling — but I did all of the online work on my own.”
Young’s mother, Shereen Siddiqui, SCC professor of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies, concurred. “My role was to sign Harris up for classes, then (my husband and I) just let him go,” she said. “He needed no supervision, because he was so motivated and responsible.”
Young began to transition to SCC by taking one online class, Sport in U.S. Society.
“I really enjoyed it, so I took another one that semester. By the time I was in my first semester of eighth grade, I’d been doing a mix of online classes at SCC and some classes through other programs.”
Within a year, in the fall of 2024, he’d transitioned to SCC classes only.
Online classes left Young feeling disconnected, however.
“Harris is a social kid, so we agreed it was time to try in-person classes,” Siddiqui said. “Everybody at SCC has been so respectful and kind to him. He just loves the environment.”
“Doing in-person classes was really intimidating at first,” Young said. “But everyone was really nice; they treated me like I was just another student.”
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Although Young took classes that interested him, at a certain point he realized that he had enough credits for his first associate degree. Later, after focusing on biology, he now expects to earn an associate of science degree in chemistry in two years. “By the time I have my associate in chemistry, I’ll also qualify for degrees in math and physics,” he said. “And I’ll probably end up with a degree in biology as well.”
Let’s add this up, folks: When Harris Young is only 17, he will have earned separate associate degrees in social and behavioral sciences, chemistry, biology, math and physics. And every single class he’s taken thus far at SCC has resulted in the same grade (no shocker here): an A.
It’s Young’s life outside of the academic arena, however, that makes him so extraordinary. Take, for example, his volunteer work. “When he was in third grade, during COVID, Harris learned that food pantries had shortages,” Siddiqui said. “So he organized a food drive in our neighborhood … and he donated all of the collected food to SCC’s food pantry.”
Years later, as a Santiago Canyon College student, Young volunteered at the same on-campus food pantry at The Hawk’s Nest, which supports SCC students’ basic needs; he helped stock and distribute food to those in need.
Young’s athletic achievements started early. “When he was just 5 years old,” Siddiqui said, “he was the national karate champion in his age group.” After excelling in soccer, Young then transitioned to pickleball, and he’s now a member of SCC’s Pickleball Club. Just last month, he won top honors at a National Junior Pickleball regional tournament in Los Angeles.
Along with his academic success, Young completed the four classes required by SCC’s Student Leadership Institute and recently won an Associated Student Government election; he’ll serve as director of administrative operations. On top of everything else, he’s fully accepted his tendency to stutter. “It’s one of my challenges, but it’s a big part of who I am,” Young said. “I may be helping a psychiatrist in his research on stuttering.”
That’s typical of Harris Alden Young: using his brilliance — and wisdom far beyond his years — to learn more about the world while helping others.
“What impresses us most about Harris is that he’s such a kind person,” his mother said. “He’s brilliant and he’s doing great in school, but he’s just a really good person. As parents, my husband and I couldn’t ask for anything more in a child.”
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