14 Year Old Kairan Quazi to Graduate with Bachelor’s Degrees in Computer Science and Engineering

The child prodigy recounts his college experience as he approaches his final months at Santa Clara

Before Kairan Quazi is able to have a driver’s license, he will have his bachelor’s degree. At 14 years old, he is in the same position as many people eight years his senior–graduating college. After studying for the past three years at Santa Clara, Quazi is completing his final quarters on campus as he looks forward to his future in the tech world.

When he was 11, Quazi transferred to Santa Clara during the fall quarter of the 2020-2021 academic year. He had already completed two years of community college and earned his associate degree in mathematics. 

Quazi’s academic path is unlike the vast majority of Americans. His last year of traditional schooling was third grade. While most students learn how to read, write and complete basic math problems during the second and third grades, he began considering community college.

“When I was in grade school, I felt very trapped with the academics,” said Quazi, “After my transfer to the community college, I went from being the class clown who was in the principal's office more days than not to feeling really challenged and heard.”

In order to obtain his bachelor’s degree, Quazi applied to four-year universities, including University of California schools, but ultimately chose to continue his education at Santa Clara due to its emphasis on community and high-ranking academics. 

“Santa Clara’s size was really appealing,” he said, referring to the school’s undergraduate population of 5,500. “Its school of engineering is also the top in the country and still has a good professor-to-student ratio, which allows me to build meaningful relationships with my professors.” 

Quazi also praised the tight-knit community at Santa Clara while talking about his social life as a young transfer student. 

“When I first started at Santa Clara there was definitely a lot of shock, but I think my experience is similar to any other transfer or community college student,” said Quazi. “My closest friends are from here. I started in 2020 while classes were online and but Santa Clara’s small and inviting culture made it easy to make friends.”

In addition to his rigorous coursework and active social life, Quazi participates in numerous extra-curricular activities. He is a member of the Association for Computer Machinery and currently serves as a Senior Senator in the Associated Student Government. 

“We do a lot of different initiatives from student engagement to internal initiatives with administration–acting as intermediaries between students and administration to present student interests,” Quazi said. “Most students do not have the ability to just email a vice provost, so we do that for them.”

To win his Senior Senator seat, Quazi campaigned across and around campus to obtain the signatures and then votes required to become elected.

“Going door to door collecting votes and signatures was one of the most impactful parts of the campaign,” said Quazi. “It gave me the opportunity to meet people I otherwise would not have talked to and to better understand their needs and interests as students.” 

Outside of his academic and extracurricular involvements, he volunteered at a local science fair, most recently at Santa Clara High School.

“It is motivating to see the projects of the next generation, even though a lot of them are older than me, of college students and people who will eventually be in leadership positions,” said Quazi. 

He is often the youngest in the room and enjoys being around academic peers in school and work. Quazi has been an intern at Intel for three and a half years.  

“Last summer I took a break from Intel. During that time I interned at a cyber intelligence company working with machine learning,” said Quazi. “At both internships, I was the only undergraduate intern.” 

As of Feb. 14, Quazi has received three employment offers at different tech companies. These companies have since instituted hiring freezes, though, preventing him from making a decision about what he will do after graduation.

“When I graduate I will have spent a third of my life, and all of my memorable life, in university. I want to take a break from academia to work and build my skill set,” Quazi said. “However, I eventually want to pursue a Ph.D.” 

In between coursework and career endeavors, Quazi keeps his brain active in his free time. Like many other 14 year olds, Quazi enjoys playing video games, tennis, and reading. 

“I don’t read as much as I should. When I was a kid I used to love reading but now I don’t really have time.” He said, “In terms of book recommendations, What If? and What if? 2 by Ranadall Munroe are good science books and they are fun reads. I also enjoy classic dystopian novels like 1984, Brave New World and Clockwork Orange.” 

He attempts to stay in touch with being young in this adult environment by maintaining close friendships with people from his middle school. Quazi is in a very different position than most of his peers in terms of expectations and freedom, but he is still just 14. 

“I think I do have more independence than other people my age.” Quazi said, “My parents are very relaxed about it. They let me stay out late because of meetings and other events often, but obviously they aren’t going to let me run around forever.” 

As a young graduate, Quazi recognizes how stressful starting college is for many students, but he believes students should make the most of the college experience.

“It’s a very unique part of your life. It’s the first time you will ever experience true independence.” Quazi said. “Making connections while at Santa Clara is super important. Especially for computer science and engineering majors, since it’s such an impacted department, networking with your professors is critical.”

Quazi has fond memories of his time on campus. As he is completing his final months at Santa Clara, Quazi has reflected on the impact the past years have had on him. 

“It is hard to define what my happiest moment is at Santa Clara University because Santa Clara really changed my life.”