Twelve-year-old Alena Wicker is a true child prodigy. The Arizona-native has already completed high school through at-home schooling and is set to attend Arizona State University. Afterwards, she plans on becoming a NASA scientist/engineer.
“I just had a goal I wanted to get to,” Wicker said in an interview with KXXV News. “I always liked dreamed of being an engineer because throughout my life I liked building.”
Wicker’s passion for building things started when she was young with the help of Legos.
“At four years old she said I’m going to work at NASA and I’m going to go up there, she would point to the stars,” Daphne Mcquarter, Alena’s mom, said in the same interview. “She just had a gift for numbers and Legos and science so I started nurturing that gift.”
“I’m kind of a nerd for the NASA sized Legos,” Wicker added.
Wicker, sailed through her high-school home-school courses, planning on majoring in astronomical and planetary science and chemistry. The young genius will graduate college at 16-years-old.
“I’ll be driving one of those future space mobiles by the time I graduate college.” In addition to driving space mobiles, Wicker has a goal of working for NASA at 16 as well.
What else is Alena planning to tackle in life? Well, in true Gen Z fashion, she wants to launch her own podcast. We have no doubt that Alena will accomplish her present goals and many many more to come!
Do you think that you have a child prodigy on your hands? Here are five ways to tell.
They are exceptionally skilled at a very young age.
Prodigies tend to perform a skill at an adult level before the age of 12.
They harbor an intense drive to master their skill.
Whether it is painting for 24 hours straight or continually on the golf course or tennis court, a prodigious child will not quit until their skill is mastered.
They have an advanced ability in a specific area.
Prodigies are usually focused on areas such as music, math, athletics, and chess. Did your child figure out how to checkmate at age 3 after watching someone play just once? That might be a sign that they are a prodigy.
They have a crazy-good working memory.
Mozart could memorize music while rearranging a composition in his head. Can your child’s brain “multi-task”? If so, that’s a good sign that they have a prodigious nature.
They experience loneliness.
Children that are prodigies usually have a hard time relating to kids their own age because they are so far advanced. Unfortunately, this could lead to loneliness among peers.
