12-Year-Old Prodigy Graduates as College Valedictorian

Phung-Hieu Diep graduated from Evergreen Valley College in San Jose on May 22 with an associate degree in mathematics, a perfect 4.0 GPA and valedictorian honors, according to ABC7 News Bay Area and other outlets that cited the college. Evergreen Valley College held its 2026 commencement at 6 p.m. (abc7news.com) Friday at the school’s soccer field, according to the college’s graduation page. Diep, who is 12, drew attention in local and national coverage because he completed community college years earlier than most students. ABC7 reported that he goes by Hieu and that he began taking college classes full time at age 10. (evc.edu) ### How unusual was this graduation at Evergreen Valley College? ABC7 reported that Diep graduated at age 12 from the San Jose community college with valedictorian honors and a 4.0 GPA. The station said he completed an associate degree in mathematics. Evergreen Valley College said its Class of 2026 earned nearly 2,000 degrees and certificates, placing Diep’s record inside a much larger graduating class. The commencement program describes 2026 as the college’s 50th anniversary class. ### When did he start college-level work? (abc7news.com) ABC7 said Diep’s path accelerated in elementary school, when he was ready for pre-algebra while classmates were still working on multiplication. The station reported that he first enrolled at Berkeley City College for a pre-calculus class before leaving middle school at 10 to become a full-time college student. (abc7news.com) Action News Now, citing ABC7’s reporting, said Diep pieced together a full-time schedule across six community colleges because of his age. That account matches the broader picture in follow-on coverage that described him as taking an unusually early route through California’s community college system. (evc.edu) ### What has he said about the experience? “I tell people that, like, it’s been an amazing experience,” Diep told ABC7, according to a People pickup of the interview. He added that college let him dive into math and other subjects. (abc7news.com) ABC7 also reported that Diep’s initials spell “P-H-D,” a detail repeated in syndicated coverage of the story. The reports described him as calm and matter-of-fact in discussing a path that has made him an outlier among college graduates. (actionnewsnow.com) ### What comes next after this degree? People reported that Diep said he wants to attend the University of California, Berkeley, and then medical school. He said he eventually hopes to become an infectious disease physician because of his experience with research presentations on outbreaks in catfish aquaculture, according to the report. (yahoo.com) Yahoo’s pickup of the same reporting said Evergreen Valley College described Diep as planning to start another degree at the school next year. That suggests his immediate next step may include more community college coursework even as he looks ahead to Berkeley. (actionnewsnow.com) ### What can be verified directly from the college? Evergreen Valley College’s graduation page confirms the date, time and location of the 2026 commencement ceremony: May 22 at 6 p.m. on the college soccer field. The school’s commencement program confirms the scale of the graduating class and identifies the event as part of the Class of 2026 ceremony. (yahoo.com) The college website pages accessible through search did not provide a direct public profile page for Diep in the material reviewed, so details about his age, degree, grade-point average and plans come from ABC7 and follow-on reports citing the college. Those reports were consistent on the core facts of his graduation, honors and next academic goals. (yahoo.com) May 22 is the milestone already on the calendar: Diep walked in Evergreen Valley College’s 2026 commencement in San Jose. The next named step in public reporting is UC Berkeley, which Diep said he hopes to attend before going on to medical school. (evc.edu) (abc7news.com)