SAN ANTONIO – Gabriel Ping is not your average teenage student. He graduated high school after just the ninth grade along with several cyber security certifications.
Ping, 15, said he hopes to work in the cybersecurity field someday, perhaps for the National Security Agency.
“A lot of jobs require a lot of work experience, and it’s pretty difficult to get work experience early on,” Ping said. “So, if you graduate early, that will set a good look on you to possibly get internships, which would allow you to further your career.”
Before he became a high school graduate, Ping tested out of grades in elementary school and scored high on his PSAT.
He said anyone can graduate early if they work hard and take advantage of several free local programs.
The main program he said he used was the Texas First Early High School Completion Program, which awards a high school diploma with a distinguished level of achievement.
The goal of the program is to incentivize Texas students to remain in state and take their skills to in-state institutions.
Another program Ping mentioned: Modern States Education Alliance.
The Modern States Education Alliance is a free, online nonprofit that helps students take subject tests called CLEP tests.
Anyone who scores high enough on a CLEP test can earn college credits. These tests can be costly, but the nonprofit makes it possible for students to take several at low cost.
Some fees could be reimbursed with high enough scores.
Ping earned eight college credits through Modern States Education Alliance for free over a few weeks.
He said he is also grateful for Sam Houston High School and SAISD, which allowed him to take a dual credit Cyber P-TECH course at St. Philip’s College.
Ping said he will complete his associate degree in cybersecurity later this fall.
The Mims Institute Fellows Inc. a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented zip codes get to America’s best colleges, also helped Ping land an internship with Eastside Quantum Computing.
“We also push students to do the best they can, okay, with the resources, the limited resources that may be there,” Mims Institute Fellows Inc. founder Jason Mims said. “Because even with limited resources, you can go pretty far.”
Where Ping said he will get his bachelor’s degree is still unknown. His mom wants to keep him close since he is only 15, so the University of Texas San Antonio could be a possibility.
At heart, Ping is still your average kid who loves to game.
“I’ll never pass up an opportunity to play a game,” Ping said.
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