Meet Cavalin

Moshe Kai Cavalin is from San Gabriel, California. He is a teenager who flies airplanes but he is still too young to drive a car. In 2006, at age 8, Cavalin became the youngest person in the U.S. to take college classes. He earned his first college degree at age 11. He earned his second degree from the University of California, Los Angeles when he was 15. Last year, Cavalin began a degree in cybersecurity. He wanted to learn how to keep information on the Internet safe. But then, he decided to postpone that degree because NASA asked him to develop technology for airplanes and drones. Cavalin has interests outside of school and work, too. He’s just published his second book, about his experience being bullied and stories he has heard from others. He wants the other kids to know how they can deal with it if they are bullied too. He plans to have his airplane pilot's license by the end of the year. He has also won many awards in martial arts. All of his trophies are at his family’s home in Los Angeles.

Still, Cavalin says that he's just a normal person. He says that his success is a result of his parents’ efforts. They taught him for years. They also let him choose his after-school activities. His different interests come from his family's background, he says. His mother is from Taiwan, and his father is from Brazil.

"My case isn't that special," Cavalin said. "It is my parents’ efforts, motivation and inspiration together. I just try to do the best I can." His parents said that they understood that he was very clever when he was just a baby. Cavalin began to talk at only 4 months of age. He pointed to a jet in the sky and said his first word. It was the Chinese word for airplane. His mother was homeschooling Cavalin; but at the age of 7, she understood that she wasn’t enough for him. After that, his mom started taking him to a community college.

"I think most people just think he is a genius. They believe it just comes naturally," said Daniel Judge. He taught college math to Cavalin for two years. ”I think he actually worked harder than any other student I've ever had."

His skills and hard work are the reasons NASA's Ricardo Arteaga chose him for a job. Cavalin said he was surprised when NASA offered him a job. The space agency had rejected his applications in the past because he was too young. But Arteaga said that the teen was perfect for a project that combined math, computers, and aircraft technology. "I needed an intern who knew software and knew advanced math," Arteaga said. "And I also needed a pilot who could fly an airplane."

In the office Cavalin is a quiet worker. He chooses his words with care and seems difficult to upset. But then Cavalin says he doesn’t like being called a certain word: "One word I don't take too kindly is genius," he said. "Genius is just kind of taking it too far."

Cavalin has no plans to slow down. Once he finishes his cybersecurity degree, he hopes to get another degree in business. What then? He wants to start his own cybersecurity company.