‘Learning Is Unlimited’: 15-Year-Old, 13-Year-Old Graduate College

An Oklahoma City family is setting a new bar in education. These parents are applying a sports mentality to their children’s education and it’s producing historic graduation results.  

Sounds of Spring fill the air and signs of graduation fill people’s yards.  

“It’s extremely exciting,” said Elijah Muhammad, who has several kids graduating this spring. 

Cue the graduation parties in the Muhammad household.  

“May sixth, I graduated with my bachelor’s degree,” said Shania Muhammad, Elijah Muhammad’s daughter.  

Shania Muhammad isn’t done either. She just started her master's in business administration.  

“My first semester I made a 4.0,” Muhammad said. 

Shania is only 15-years-old. 

“It’s surreal,” Muhammad said. 

Elijah is also Shania’s coach.  

“He’s never doubted us, so it gave us no reason to doubt ourselves,” Shania said.  

Elijah's youngest son graduates Saturday with a computer science cybersecurity degree.  

“My youngest son’s making history cause he’s 13-years-old,” Muhammad said. 

Four of Muhammad’s kids achieved a college degree before the age of 20. His second oldest son graduated from military school at 16-years-old.  

Walls soaked with awards and medals in athletics at his home made Muhammad think.  

“Where’s our dad guru in education? I looked in the mirror and said, ‘Hey it’s me,’” he said. 

Muhammad recognized the problem he grew up with – growing up without his father around. 

“A lot of our problems come from poverty and broken homes,” Muhammad said. 

However, Muhammad won’t complain. He helped his kids learn the basics.  

“If you can read, write and do math, you can do pretty much anything,” Muhammad said. 

Now, this family has a wall for education. Shania’s favorite part is her mom’s framed Ph. D., something else for her to shoot for. 

“That’s the big one right there,” Shania said. 

Shania recognizes her journey is unique, so her advice is simple.  

“Take it one day at a time,” she said. "Be patient with yourself.”  

Shania said people should define success for themselves and find their own path to graduation and a better life.  

“Learning is unlimited,” Shania said. “So, I tell my dad all the time that I can learn anything.”