12-Year-Old Prodigy Graduates as College Valedictorian

Phung-Hieu Diep graduated from Evergreen Valley College in San Jose on Friday, May 22, as a valedictorian with an associate degree in mathematics, according to ABC7 and the college's commencement page. The 12-year-old completed the program with a 4.0 GPA after enrolling full time at the community college at age 10, ABC7 reported. (yahoo.com) Evergreen Valley College scheduled its 2026 commencement for 6 p.m. Friday at the school's soccer field. (abc7news.com) ### How unusual was Diep's graduation at age 12? ABC7 reported that Diep, who goes by Hieu, finished college years earlier than a typical community college student. The station said he graduated with valedictorian honors and a perfect grade-point average. (yahoo.com) Yahoo, citing ABC7, reported that Diep was scheduled to receive his associate degree in mathematics on May 22. Local and syndicated reports matched on the core details: his age, school, degree, 4.0 GPA and valedictorian status. ### When did he start college, and what did he study? (yahoo.com) ABC7 reported that Diep began attending Evergreen Valley College full time at age 10. The program he completed was an associate degree in mathematics. KSL and other outlets carrying the ABC7 report said Diep's academic path centered on math from an early age. (abc7news.com) The available reports reviewed by Reuters-style standards did not independently detail his course list or name specific faculty advisers. ### What has Diep said about the experience? “I tell people that, like, it's been an amazing experience,” Diep told ABC7, according to Yahoo's republication of the report. (yahoo.com) He described college simply as “fun,” the report said. ABC7's report also said Diep has spoken about plans beyond Evergreen Valley College. (abc7news.com) In the same account, he said his “current future goals” include getting another degree, attending UC Berkeley and then going to medical school. ### What can be verified about the “publishable research” claim? The reports surfaced in search results said Diep was doing advanced academic work, but the materials available through open web results reviewed here did not identify a paper title, journal submission or named research collaborator. (ksl.com) Because those specifics could not be independently verified, they are not established in this account. (yahoo.com) Local12's summary and other pickup items described him as a math prodigy, but the directly accessible reporting did not provide documentary evidence for a publication record. Reuters-style reporting requires those details to be sourced, so they remain unconfirmed here. (wcjb.com) ### What does Evergreen Valley College's own schedule show? Evergreen Valley College listed its 2026 commencement for Friday, May 22, at 6 p.m. on the soccer field, according to the school's graduation page. The college also published a 2026 commencement event listing for the same date and time. The school's graduation page included links to a 2026 graduation guide and commencement program, though the search results excerpt available here did not surface valedictorian names from those documents. (local12.com) ### What comes next for Diep? Diep told ABC7 that UC Berkeley is his next target and that medical school is part of his longer-term plan. Reports also described him as a child who still spends time on games including Minecraft and Roblox, though that detail came from syndicated summaries rather than school records. (local12.com) May 22 marked the college milestone that can be verified now. The next publicly stated step is Diep's plan to pursue another degree and seek admission to UC Berkeley before medical school, according to ABC7's reporting. (evc.edu) (yahoo.com)