Meet Mike Wimmer, the 12-year-old graduating high school and college in the same week

When the pandemic first hit the United States, pre-teen Mike Wimmer decided to use the extra time he had productively. He took on a few extra classes in school. Now, only a year later, the 12-year-old is set to graduate high school—and college. Wimmer, who is based in Salisbury, North Carolina, completed four years of school in just one year: two years of high school and a two-year associate's degree. That means the young academic will graduate from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and Concord Academy High School, where he is the valedictorian, in the same week this May, CNN reports.

"A lot of people think I've given up my childhood or somehow lost it," Wimmer said in an interview with the news outlet. "And I say to them that I'm having the time of my life." Graduating from high school and college in one go was not always the 12-year-old's plan. He was taking dual enrollment classes. Given the pace he was going at, he realized he could get his associate's degree just in time for his high school graduation if he enrolled in only a few more classes. He has successfully maintained stellar GPAs. At Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, his GPA is 4.0, while his high school GPA is 5.45.

Furthermore, even though Wimmer is several years younger than most of his college and high school classmates, he said he gets along with them well. He was even nominated to Homecoming Court last year. According to the pre-teen, he is the "science and maths guy." He has an affinity for technology, which began at a young age. He received his first iPad when he was 18 months old and, even at the outset, was curious about how it worked. Through trial and error and online videos, he learned almost all of his programming and robotic knowledge. The young man has also founded a startup called Reflect Social, which "combines popular social media platforms with Internet of Things (IoT) devices, providing a new dynamic social experience." He hopes to simplify how smart home technology works through Reflect Social, ultimately helping others. Wimmer affirmed, "My entrepreneurial goal is to build technology that enables people to live better lives."

Of course, his parents are immensely proud of him and the person he has become. His mother Melissa Wimmer told CNN, "If one door's locked, he'll find out another way around to figure out how to accomplish his goals." Now that graduation is just a few weeks away (he graduates from Rowan-Cabarrus Community College on May 28, and Concord Academy High School on May 21), Wimmer is weighing his options for the future. Some of those options are job offers based both in and outside of the United States, more school, or a fellowship that will allow him to grow his startup. Nonetheless, in the meantime, he makes time for "normal kid activities" such as playing basketball and building Legos.