19YO Who Started UCC at 13YO Graduates with Bachelor’s Degree
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At just 19 years old, Malik Wynter has already experienced several years of university life, earning a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean (UCC).
This achievement caps a journey that began six years ago when Wynter was 13 years old, he passed six subjects in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. His exceptional performance secured him a place at UCC, where he initially planned to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.
However, not liking the business classes, his passion for technology led him to change his major to Information Technology almost immediately after enrollment. According to Wynter, he was rejected by the University of Technology at age 13 because the required age to join UTECH was/is 16.
Reflecting on his early academic experiences, Wynter recounted how his talents were recognized even before he joined UCC. Talking to the Jamaica Gleaner, he stated, “Before I was enrolled in the DeOkoro Magnet School for the Gifted & Talented, I was moving from the primary school I was in, and my parents wanted me to get into Vaz [Preparatory School]. I was 12.”
“We went to interview at the school … that teacher who was interviewing me took me to the principal, and they said, ‘We can’t handle you, but we have contacts at the DeOkoro Magnet School for the Gifted & Talented,’ so they referred my parents to that school, and I started attending courses there,” Wynter explained.
After being accepted at UCC, he attended DeOkoro Magnet School for the Gifted & Talented and also UCC, attending both schools on some days. His IT course at UCC took 5 years and at the institution’s recent graduation, Wynter was the youngest graduate. According to Wynter, he was never big on studying, instead, he learned how to memorise and solve problems from different angles.
Now that Wynter has achieved a life goal that many his age might only dream of, his parents, Kevin Wynter and Gillian Costley, are immensely proud of his accomplishments. “We’re proud of him. I knew from he was probably about two or three [years of age] that he was not like regular children,” Costley told The Gleaner.
Malik Wynter declared that he does not see himself as being super smart and his goal is to complete a master’s in cybersecurity and data-privacy protection at the UCC. After this milestone, he states that he will be looking to start his own cybersecurity company and finish with school because he has gotten tired of school.
“I don’t want to stay in education after I complete my master’s … I’m sick of school’,” Wynter stated in the Gleaner report.
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