A young teenage girl has graduated from a London university with a first-class honours degree years before children the same age even take their GCSEs. Vera Cree, who is just 14, completed a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems at Middlesex University.
Her parents James and Deborah Cree say they knew their daughter was special from when she was about three years old, as she was always very curious. The teenager spent most of her childhood in Indianapolis, where her teachers noticed her intelligence and started her on advanced courses from age eight.
After a while on a high ability curriculum for science, maths, and quantitative reasoning, Vera grew bored and started taking on several college classes. The family moved back to the UK in 2023 to be closer to Vera’s grandad, and having excelled at a college level, the teen says she was accepted into several universities.
Mum Deborah, 43, an IT consultant, said: “Vera has always been very different. She has always been very curious, and we just knew there was something different about her.
“In school Vera got very bored with learning things that she already knew. She was just so advanced for what she was being taught.
“She started taking more college classes and she was just going through all of them. In the end we realised she had enough credits to go straight to university.
“It was all a trial. She really wanted to do it, so we thought ‘why not let her try.’ And before we knew it, she had finished with a first class. We are just really grateful. We just wanted to support her in what she wanted to do.”
Vera, from Hythe, in Kent, graduated on June 26 surrounded by her cheering family, including her younger twin sisters Debbie and Esther, aged 10. Her dad James, 48, who is originally from California and works as a pastor, says watching his daughter accept her degree was an extremely proud moment.
He said: “Graduation day was amazing. Seeing her go up there and shake the Dean’s hand, when she came out in her gown we were all just so excited for her.
“You never expect your 14-year-old to be walking out of university fully graduated with a first class. It was a very special day for us.
“We always knew she would ace it. She was a big studier. There were a few times that we said to her to just go play and do things kids her age do, but she always wanted to study more.”
Vera added: “I enjoyed the course, it was intriguing. My family were really proud of me, especially Esther. When they called my name, she screamed so loud and everybody heard her. I just want people to know that in Jesus you find your purpose, identity, success, joy, and everything.”
Vera’s degree was largely completed online, though when in-person attendance was needed, her parents accompanied her. The family praised Middlesex University, where Deborah also attended when she was younger, for their safeguarding throughout the process.
However, this does mean that Vera did not experience any of the social side of university that many older students adore. James said: “Because of her age the social side was difficult. It was a bit taboo because we didn’t want her to be put in any situations that we wouldn’t want her in”
Deborah added: “As parents, you kind of always worry about your kids. We had a lot of check-ins. It was always tough finding the balance between stopping her getting bored and keeping the curiosity filled with the right things.
“Safeguarding was a big thing for us, so even though she collaborated with other classmates, there was really no socialising there. The people there were much older than her. She is not your typical kid. She doesn’t enjoy social environments, but she loves learning.”
Vera said: “I didn’t really make friends from university, but I have lots of friends from church and clubs that I go to.” Vera’s parents say she has always been interested in software engineering and technology, joining the robotics club at her secondary school.
Next, Vera says she wants to do a PhD at Oxford University, and she has begun working on a thesis in Artificial Intelligence solutions for caregivers of autistic children. She is also working on a project with a wearable camera which uses AI to detect emotions, and she is considering releasing an album with songs on her faith.
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