High School Students From Gary, Indiana, Set To Achieve Bachelor’s Degrees This Spring

Abram Lewis and Khaya Njumbe, students at Geo Academy’s 21st Century Charter School, will receive their bachelor's degrees this spring.

Abram Lewis and Khaya Njumbe, both high school students from Gary, Indiana, are poised to achieve a significant milestone this spring: earning their bachelor’s degrees.

The two Geo Academy’s 21st Century Charter School students, ages 15 and 17, exceeded their required secondary academic coursework to achieve such a high level of success. Lewis and Njumbe shared their journey and thoughts about entering college life as high schoolers with WISH.

The head start in college the teens received was “surreal,” Lewis said. “Around campus, a lot of people were shocked when they saw me, especially when I was much younger,” Njumbe told the outlet, adding that fellow students often thought he was the “professor’s son or something of that sort.” Little did the collegegoers know that he was their peer.

The young scholar’s mother was not surprised with the success and high honor because of the opportunities available in America, she said.

Lewis noted that juggling the course load had been rigorous for them both. However, while dedicating time to attend and study for high school and college courses, the teens balance their academic careers with their lives outside school. Njumbe plays basketball and is involved in gymnastics. “It’s all down to time management I guess,” he said.

Between them, the two students have four associate’s degrees and received high honors from a coalition of Black leaders in Indianapolis. Lewis followed in the footsteps of his sister, who also received her associate’s degree in high school.

Both teens have their eyes on medical school. Njumbe told the outlet that his next step is to enroll in a Master of Public Health program; he eventually wants to become an orthopedic surgeon.