13-year-old student soars into first semester at UNF
In many ways, Cameron Robinson is like any other 13-year-old. He likes video games, playing basketball with friends and going to the trampoline park.
What sets Robinson apart from most of his peers, however, is that while they started high school this fall, he started his junior year at the 海角社区.
His parents, Greg and Sandy Robinson, noticed something extra special about Cameron when he was about two — that’s around the time they started teaching the toddler sign language.
“We knew Cameron had a gift early on and wanted to nurture that uniqueness,” said Sandy, who is the senior vice president of revenue operations for Patra, an insure-tech company. “From the beginning, we didn’t allow him to sit mindlessly in front of the television. We made sure he was engaged, learning various concepts and exposed to the right things.”
Learning and being engaged is what Cameron has been doing his entire life. Approved television shows included "Little Einsteins,” based on the travel adventures of four characters and “Dora the Explorer,” for its Spanish-speaking benefits. Playing video games and basketball with his friends were “rewards” for after he completed his schoolwork.
At age 7, he mastered the concepts of algebra with the help of his father, who passed on his love of math to his son. It worked. Cameron’s favorite subject is math, which will be beneficial as he majors in engineering.
“We wanted Cameron to think and learn — to be inquisitive and disciplined,” said Greg, who has a doctorate in applied econometrics and is the chief technology officer with Titan Health. “Math was the vehicle to help him learn discipline.”
Seeking resources
Recognizing the need to find opportunities where their son would be challenged enough in school, Greg and Sandy sought out and researched various educational options — including gifted programs at school that proved not to be beneficial and private online courses with Khan Academy. That’s when they went the college-level route.
“We hit a wall with conventional options,” Sandy said. “When you have a kid as bright as Cameron, we needed to find programs and schools that would engage him to the level he needed to be in, and college level was the next option.”
Easier said than done. Greg and Sandy contacted administrators at Florida State College at Jacksonville to inquire about college courses for their 7-year-old.
“We were told ‘no’ many times,” Sandy said. “But we persisted. Cameron had to prove himself, but once he did, the barriers were broken.”
Dean Billy Thomas at FSCJ was instrumental in opening doors for Cameron.
“He saw Cameron’s potential and what he could do, and everything started to take shape,” Greg said.
Still enrolled at Fruit Cove Elementary School for the socialization benefits with his peers, Cameron took his first college class — Intermediate Algebra — at age 7 at FSCJ and earned an A in the class. Being so young and in a college class made him nervous at first, but he said he felt more at ease and in his element once he started to answer the questions.
“Being 7 and in college was really crazy,” Cameron said. “I was nervous at first, but then I started answering questions in class, and it felt good to be there. Plus, my dad was by my side in class with me.”
Indeed, Sandy and Greg took turns driving and accompanying Cameron from his elementary school to his classes at FSCJ.
The college experience
As time passed, Cameron moved on to middle school while continuing to take college courses and applying for dual enrollment — typically reserved for high school students — with assistance of administrators at FSCJ.
When a job assignment relocated the family to Wisconsin, Cameron enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. The family moved back to Jacksonville in 2020, and Cameron re-enrolled at FSCJ, earning his associate of arts degree this past spring.
“We are incredibly proud of Cameron for earning his associate in arts degree before he even finished eighth grade,” Sandy said. “We debated whether to keep him in high school while he was attending 海角社区but decided there really was no productive reason to do so. He has built a network of relationships with his peers.”
Finding his place to soar
When asked how he feels about attending UNF, Cameron said he’s excited to start this chapter in his educational journey.
“I’m happy to be at 海角社区and I’m looking forward to my classes,” said Cameron, who’s taking 14 hours including a lab. “I’m continuing my goal to earn my Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.”
Dr. Allan Merino, assistant professor of mathematics & statistics, is Cameron’s Linear Algebra professor, and while he was unaware his student was 13 years old, he said the junior is one of his best students in the class.
“I didn’t even know Cameron was 13, quite impressive,” said Merino. “With what I have seen since the beginning of the semester, he’s able to do all the exercises we have done in class and is doing great.”
Greg and Sandy said they feel confident their son is at the right university in this stage of his educational journey.
“We are pleased that Cameron is at 海角社区and that he’s excited to be here,” said Sandy. “We believe this is just the beginning of a transformative academic experience for him.”