Meet Carson Huey-you, the young genius who earned bachelors at 14, masters degrees at 17 and PhD at 21-year-old

Reflecting on his journey, Carson described TCU as more than just a place of learning. “I effectively grew up on campus, and I’m thankful for how safe and accommodating everyone made it,” he said.

He paid special tribute to Dr. Magnus Rittby, a professor in TCU’s College of Science & Engineering, whom he described as more than an academic advisor. “Dr. Rittby has been there as an advisor, mentor, and even a father figure from the very beginning,” Carson shared.

Carson’s mother, Claretta Kimp, played a crucial role in nurturing his early development. She homeschooled him until the age of five and quickly realized her son’s extraordinary abilities.

By age two, Carson was already reading chapter books. At three, he showed an interest in calculus.

“I got him a little calculus book, and he could work through some of the first problems. That’s when I thought, ‘Okay, you’re really smart,’” Claretta recalled.

At just 10 years old, Carson graduated from high school as co-valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 GPA and scored 1770 on the SAT, paving the way for his early admission into university.

For his PhD, Carson specialized in theoretical quantum physics, a highly complex and advanced field. “Quantum physics covers most interactions at the molecular level or smaller—atomic and subatomic,” he explained.

He added that much of his work involved solving complex equations and writing computer code to approximate solutions where exact answers are not possible.

With his historic academic run complete, Carson says he plans to take a short break before returning to the world of research.

“Now that I’m finally graduating, I’ll be taking a quick rest to catch up on other things. After that, it’ll be right back to work in search of a research job,” he said.