Latest news with #CraftonHillsCollege
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
At Only 11 Years, This Homeschooler Already Has Two College Degrees. Here's How She Did It (Exclusive)
Alisa Perales is just 11 years old and about to earn two associate degrees Her dad, Rafael, left his full-time job a decade ago to help her focus on her academics when he realized she was "innately brilliant" The years of homeschooling have paid off, the family says: "It's just cool," Alisa saysThis week, Alisa Perales will graduate from Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa, Calif., with associate degrees in both math and multiple sciences. She's planning to study at University of California, Irvine, starting this fall and major in computer science. She's also 11 years old. Honestly, she thinks the whole thing is pretty neat. 'It's really exciting for me that I'm actually graduating at 11 with two degrees,' Alisa Perales tells PEOPLE. 'It's just cool.' Alisa's single dad, 51-year-old Rafael Perales, decided to shelve his law practice and homeschool his daughter full-time starting when she was only a year old. (The family was able to rely on a relatively modest inheritance after Rafael's parents died, which he says allowed them to purchase some land and generate income that way.) 'Alisa is innately brilliant. She's sharp. Everybody's noticed that she was born with a little something extra," he says. Still, "she wasn't born knowing calculus, she wasn't born knowing [trigonometry]," Rafael tells PEOPLE. Getting from there to here — a college graduate at close to half the age of most students — was "constant work.' They started with the the ABCs and singing songs. By 2½, Alisa was reading chapter books. 'It's just been step by step," her father says. "There's been no miracles. Everything has been step by step by step." 'When I first started doing it, people were like, 'Wow, you're going to stop being a lawyer to homeschool a 1-year-old?' " Rafael says. "They thought it was a big mistake. They didn't think that was really the way to go." But he was sure it was "the right decision from the start," he says. "And looking back now, 10 years later, I have zero regrets. It has been a joy. It has been a privilege and an honor teaching her.' At their home in San Bernadino, Calif., the Peraleses initially studied from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. six days a week. 'We didn't take any summer breaks, we didn't take any winter breaks,' Rafael says. Instead, in the summer, the pair took educational field trips to places such as the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone. (They did, though, pause for holidays like the Fourth of July, Christmas and their birthdays.) When Alisa turned 4, they decided to take Wednesdays off from studying and make a weekly trip to Disneyland. 'She was doing so well, I wanted to keep rewarding her and have her look forward to every week as something new and a lot of fun that's coming up,' Rafael says. 'That was really my strategy, just to make it a heck of a lot of fun.' By the time Alisa was 5, her dad was teaching her algebra. Then they moved on to geometry. When she was 8 years old, Alisa got to the point where, her father says, he couldn't teach her the math she wanted to learn — not because he didn't want her to learn but because "I don't know how to do calculus. I don't really know how to do trigonometry,' he says. So when most kids were enrolling in third grade, Alisa was enrolled in community college, as a special student, in spring 2023. 'It was the first time she was ever in any kind of a public classroom [and] I thought she might be a little intimidated," Rafael says. "But no, I think she really looked forward to having other people around in class and get to actually experience what it's like having someone besides dad up in the front of the room teaching everybody." He continues: "It was like on TV, or in the movies to her. She had no problems. I did not hear even one time and not even once did she come to me and say, 'I feel uncomfortable,' or, 'Nobody is being nice to me' or anything like that.' During Alisa's classes, Rafael waited nearby on campus. 'There's a lot more students in our classroom. I'm used to me and my dad sitting at the desk. It's just many more people," Alisa says. "Also — just way older than me, of course.' While she liked her math, physics and music classes, she says, in general 'I like learning new things." On Friday, May 23, she will become the community college's youngest grad, earning two associate degrees, one in math and one in multiple sciences. Her dad notes that if she stayed just one more semester, she would have earned two more degrees, in computer science and in physics. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 'We're not done yet,' Rafael says. Alisa is interested in 3D animation, artificial intelligence and space exploration (she says she would like to help Elon Musk colonize Mars or live on the Moon). 'She wants to go into space,' Rafael says, joking that "she wants to drag me out there, too." Read the original article on People
Epoch Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
10-Year-Old Girl Homeschooled by Dad Graduates From College With 2 Degrees
Alisa Perales's father drives her to and from class, helps her understand her textbooks, and rewards her academic achievements with trips to Disneyland, near their home in San Bernardino, Calif. Alisa tackles the schoolwork herself, though, mastering Calculus 3 and computer science courses, some weeks putting in 35 hours doing homework alone. Not bad for a 10-year-old. For her graduation from Crafton Hills College this April, Alisa's been in the spotlight—featured on Fox News, People Magazine, NBC News, and more. With a grade point average close to 4.0 and two associate college degrees in mathematics and several sciences in hand, she's the youngest graduate in the college's history. 'It's exciting for sure,' Alisa told The Epoch Times. 'I always believed in myself that I could do it, and I've always kept up with my homework.' Alisa, who turns 11 next week and was solving algebra equations at age 5, she said, may have her pick of universities from among Stanford, UC Arizona, UC Riverside, and others for when her studies continue next fall. She's already received acceptance letters. Related Stories 4/22/2025 3/29/2025 Alisa Perales poses in cap and gown after becoming the youngest in history to graduate from Crafton Hills College. Courtesy of Michelle Riggs She'll major in computer science, she says, hoping to one day work in something related to AI, or possibly even aerospace. 'Or possibly even going to space,' she said. Pondering future employers, she named 'Elon Musk' and 'Space X' as potential avenues. Her dad, Rafael Perales, says he's supportive no matter what Alisa chooses. 'I think that she is well positioned to take on either role of a parent or a worker,' said Perales, 51, an attorney who chose to homeschool Alisa for the past 10 years after passing the bar exam, instead of practicing law. She can choose a career, a family, or both, he added, and can also homeschool her own children too if she so chooses. 'I hope that she would be happy no matter what she does,' he said. Alisa was always a quick learner. As a toddler, she would sort objects into clearly categorized piles and speak with a clarity beyond her years that even frightened some adults. Her dad thinks she's naturally sharp, but says her achievement is less about her being gifted and more about how a parent or teacher nurtures that gift. All kids are gifted. 'There's a lot of children who have a lot of potential that is wasted by inattentiveness or just really not receiving the time by the parents or the teacher,' Perales said. 'I don't know how anybody is able to learn with 25 people trying to be taught by one person.' With help from an inheritance that allowed him to stay home, Perales chose to teach Alisa from when she was 1 year old. He instilled a sense of responsibility and curiosity to make learning fun. He wanted to be 'more hands on' and 'take control of her education and teach her the way that I know is good,' he said, likening children to 'little saplings' who when showered with love 'grow into mighty sequoias.' (Left) Rafael Perales and his daughter, Alisa Perales, pose for a selfie just months before she started college; (Right) Alisa poses for a picture on the college campus. Courtesy of Rafael Perales/Michelle Riggs Seeing his daughter flourish, Perales has become a true believer in homeschooling and urges more parents to give it a serious try. 'There is no comparison,' he said. 'It's like comparing the strength of a lion to a mouse.' After 10 years learning at home, Alisa attended Crafton Hills to advance her career prospects. Sometimes she would walk into a class and feel stumped by some new topic but then look around and see she wasn't alone. Relentlessly working the problem, comprehension suddenly blossoms. 'I got it!' she would think. 'I'm going to do good in this class.' 'She really puts in the work,' said Perales. 'It's well earned. It's not something where she just sits back and like a wizard can just whip up answers out of the ether of her mind.' Alisa may be only 10, but she's self-disciplined, always pushing herself to keep up with work, with no procrastinating or cutting class. 'I made sure to be there doing my thing,' she said. Under all that load, though, what about a social life? Onlookers have mentioned their concern to Perales that she would become unsocialized due to being homeschooled. 'That has turned out to be completely wrong,' said Perales, who drives Alisa to her soccer games and to the park to bike-ride with her friends. 'Alisa is one of the most outgoing and friendly kids you would ever meet.' Since joining college, her network has only blossomed. When asked to quantify her circle of college pals, she laughed and said, 'hundreds.'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
10-year-old California prodigy set to graduate from college with 2 degrees
A 10-year-old from San Bernardino, Calif., is a month away from graduating with two associate degrees from Crafton Hills College. She will be the youngest to ever graduate from the Yucaipa-based community college, according to Inland Empire Community News. Her final GPA will be "close" to a 4.0. Alisa Perales began taking classes when she was only 8 years old and will have just turned 11 at the time of the graduation ceremony. Why Are Children Falling Behind In Math And Reading? "It's very fun to me. It's almost as fun as playing outside or riding a bike or doing whatever. I just enjoy learning. There are so many interesting things out there," Alisa said. Perales, who has a home-schooling background, credited her dad for pushing her to do her best in school and work hard. Read On The Fox News App A post on the Inland Empire Community News Facebook page boasts that she once used her political science coursework to file a federal lawsuit challenging youth voting rights. She would have earned two additional degrees in computer science and physics had she stayed one more semester. California Prestigious Private School Sued After Expelling Boy, 10, For Using Squirt Gun Emoji, Rap Lyrics "When I first started at Crafton (at the age of 8), I was a little bit nervous…because this was my first time going to a public school," said Alisa, "but then I met some really nice people, and that was super helpful." The young prodigy isn't done yet. She has plans to work in the artificial intelligence tech article source: 10-year-old California prodigy set to graduate from college with 2 degrees
Fox News
17-04-2025
- General
- Fox News
10-year-old California prodigy set to graduate from college with 2 degrees
A 10-year-old from San Bernardino, Calif., is a month away from graduating with two associate degrees from Crafton Hills College. She will be the youngest to ever graduate from the Yucaipa-based community college, according to Inland Empire Community News. Her final GPA will be "close" to a 4.0. Alisa Perales began taking classes when she was only 8 years old and will have just turned 11 at the time of the graduation ceremony. "It's very fun to me. It's almost as fun as playing outside or riding a bike or doing whatever. I just enjoy learning. There are so many interesting things out there," Alisa said. Perales, who has a home-schooling background, credited her dad for pushing her to do her best in school and work hard. A post on the Inland Empire Community News Facebook page boasts that she once used her political science coursework to file a federal lawsuit challenging youth voting rights. She would have earned two additional degrees in computer science and physics had she stayed one more semester. "When I first started at Crafton (at the age of 8), I was a little bit nervous…because this was my first time going to a public school," said Alisa, "but then I met some really nice people, and that was super helpful." The young prodigy isn't done yet. She has plans to work in the artificial intelligence tech industry.
