Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Child prodigy Alena Wicker has set her sights on NASA ever since she was a young girl. Now, the 12-year-old whiz kid will be enrolling at Arizona State University as a freshman this summer, in hopes of pursuing her dream job when she graduates.
Wicker first became enthralled with buildings while playing with LEGOs as a 4-year-old. Her mother said her gift for numbers had to be nurtured. I just had a goal and I wanted to get to [it], Wicker told NBC12. The young girl from Tempe plans to study astronomical and planetary science and chemistry.
By Mark Robertson
Mar 17, 2021
Alena Wicker just finished high school and is planning on attending ASU as she inches toward her goal of being a NASA engineer. At just 4-years-old, Alena told her mother she would work for NASA and at 12 she is taking the leap into college. Alena s goal is to work with NASA by 16 and help create rovers like the one sent to Mars by the Perseverance Mission spearheaded at ASU.
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Alena Wicker, 12, is set to start classes at Arizona State University this summer and plans to become a NASA engineer when she graduates. (Deanna Dent/Arizona State University)
TEMPE, AZ A 12-year-old wunderkind is set to start classes at Arizona State University this summer, and she has her sights set on infinity and beyond when she graduates.
Alena Wicker finished high school thanks to home schooling and plans to major in astronomical and planetary science and chemistry at the university. Her end goal is a job as a NASA engineer working on planetary rovers, Wicker told KPNX.
She said she gained her passion for science and engineering at a young age while playing with Lego sets. I always dreamed of being an engineer because throughout my life I liked the building, she said.
The pre-teen is headed to Arizona State University.
Published 4 days ago
Written by Paul Meara
Alena Wicker, a 12-year-old prodigy from Arizona, is set to begin her college education at Arizona State University later this year. And that’s just the beginning for her.
According to ABC News, the pre-teen, who completed high school through at-home schooling, plans to major in astronomical and planetary sciences and chemistry and hopes it will lead to working for NASA by the time she turns 16.
“I’ll be driving one of those future space mobiles by the time I graduate college,” she told the network.
Genius 12-Year-Old Attending Arizona State University, Plans To Work For NASA coronavirus high-pressure ventilators built by NASA engineers Photo: lace0182 - Pixabay
KEY POINTS
12-year-old Alena Wicker is set to attend Arizona State University this year after graduating from high school
She plans to become a NASA engineer upon graduating college at 16
The young genius is double majoring in astronomical and planetary science and chemistry
A 12-year-old prodigy from Arizona is the perfect example of how one is never too young to do big things.
Alena Wicker has graduated high school before even turning 13 acing all her classes while she was at it. After being accepted into Arizona State University, the young genius will start her college classes this summer, double majoring in astronomical and planetary science and chemistry, local news outlet WAGM-TV reported.