In what might sound like a fictional story and can only be the dream for many of us, a 14-year-old Kairan Quazi has achieved and is set to embark an exciting journey. Quazi has become the youngest graduate in Santa Clara University’s 172-year history. Moreover, he is now also set to join SpaceX as the company’s youngest software engineer.
“My early access to transformational leadership began as a 9-year-old. First, when the administrators of a local community college Las Positas College enrolled a third-grade graduate with no prior acceleration into a fulltime mathematics A.S. degree program. And again, a few months later, when I walked into a meeting with Lama Nachman at Intel Labs and walked out with a generative AI opportunity that would change my career trajectory,” Kairan Quazi said in a LinkedIn post.
In the post, he said Lama recognised that outlier circumstances demanded outlier access to influential mentors and challenging opportunities. In a sea of so many “no’s” by Silicon Valley’s most vaunted companies, that ONE leader saying “yes”…one door opening…changed everything.
Quazi said he is graduating from Santa Clara University’s School of Engineering where he learned that ‘engineering with a mission’ is not a gimmicky tagline. Where a culture of rigor, collaboration, accountability, and impact deeply resonated with the needs of a radically accelerated learner.
“Next stop: SpaceX! I will be joining the coolest company on the planet as a Software Engineer on the Starlink engineering team. One of the rare companies that did not use my age as an arbitrary and outdated proxy for maturity and ability,” Quazi said, while thanking the SpaceX team for “the most transparent, technically challenging, and fun interview process”.
Kairan Quazi’s Mom
According to Seattle Times, just a few months after her boy’s birth, Quazi’s mother Jullia began noticing his “intense” temperament: If she was reading to him and stopped, for example, Kairan would throw a tantrum that could only be quieted by listening to NPR. “By age 2, he was speaking in full sentences, and his doctors realised his intellectual and emotional intelligence were off the charts.”
Kairan Quazi’s Mentors
Quazi thanked his mentors. He said, “To my mentors and friends – Lama Nachman (Intel Labs), Naushad UzZaman (BLACKBIRD.AI), and Nam Ling and Ahmed Amer (Santa Clara University) – I am forever grateful that you recognized my value, trusted my abilities, and invested in my growth. I am excited to carry these cultural lessons into my career.”
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