Elijah Precciely, a Physics and Mechanical Engineering major from Baton Rouge, Louisiana made massive headlines at age 11 after becoming the youngest student enrolled in college.
In May 2018, Elijah made the news when he historically gained admission into Southern University on a full scholarship. The same year he launched his company, Elijah J.D Precciely Enterprise Inc., which focuses on education, innovations, ministry work, and entrepreneurship for young talents.
At age 8-years old, Elijah Precciely had already started taking business, biology, and physics courses at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Three years later in 2018 upon turning 11, he became the youngest person to be enrolled as a full-time student at the university, receiving a full-ride scholarship.
Far from being an average child; As a younger child, Elijah was homeschooled, but when his parents saw his potential, they realized that he needed more support. “Find that child’s genius, what they like, and nurture that even if you have to seek outside help, then that’s what you do and that’s what we did,” Elijah father’s told The Advocate.
Elijah first started making his own inventions at an early age. He already knew what he wanted in life. He told a local station, “You have to have your mindset, ‘Oh I have to learn this.’ You have to have a mindset to actually know, ‘hey, I have to learn this; my life depends on it’. Act like your life depends on it because it does. When you learn, you’ve increased your life.”
Upon entering college at the Southern University and achieving the feat as the youngest student, he began exploring other terrains, spreading his wings in the acting world, now he combines academics, writing and acting.
Now at college, Elijah says his professors are some of his favorite people to be around:
“The professors are willing to educate and sacrifice a great deal to teach us. I have learned from many professors in my fields of study and other professors who have encouraged me as I pass through the building hallways,”.
According to Precciely, coming to Southern University and becoming a part of the Jaguar Nation is “one of the best decisions” made throughout his young career.
He was contacted by Cartoon Network to be in a new television series called “Drawn To”, which lends focus to encouraging young people to identify and commit to good passions, urging them to develop in those areas.
Elijah says that he was inspired to be a part of the “Drawn To” series, because one of his life goals is to be a catalyst that helps others to inspire to do what he is doing now. He believes that we don’t have to wait until we are older to discover what we love and enjoy doing and that we can always have a “Start Now” mindset. This show “Drawn To” was created as a means to motivate people to reach what they are drawn to and to inspire them to help others.
While the show was at the development stage, he worked along the team with some prep-documentation and schematics. Along with the Cartoon Network team, he dished out ideas that have been implemented in the show.
One of the perks that Elijah has mentioned was being able to work with Mr. Philip Solomon, the voice actor of Craig Williams from the cartoon ‘Craig of the Creek,’ and the entire production team of Cartoon Network. Stating that not only were they very professional, but they also know how to work with D.Y.G., or Distinguishably Different; Young: and Gifted.
“It is great when we study about individuals in our history from decades ago, but it is even better to learn that there are young people who are also doing great things in our world today. Sometimes, we think these people started big, but many of them started doing small things in a great way. These small acts of change made a difference in their lives and the lives of others,” said Precciely.
When asked what his message would be to first-time viewers of the show, he had this to say: “First, I want viewers to understand science is awesome. When you start with S.T.E.M., especially physics, your persistence will lead to greatness, then you are guaranteed to blossom! Secondly, you are unique for a great purpose. You may see a vision of what you want to achieve, just follow the little step and you will succeed. Your greatness is in you, not someone else!”
In addition to making history as a young college student, Elijah is also a published author, hosts his own weekly radio show, and has applied for more than five patents for his inventions.
His second book, called ‘A Prodigy, My story at Southern University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, Year One’ which will be available in March, details his first full year at an HBCU .
