14-year-old is youngest freshman at Coppin State: ‘He’s a goal-setter and an achiever’
Fourteen-year-old West Muhammad strides into the library at Coppin State University wearing a blue-gray suit and red bow tie.
He's the youngest freshman on campus this year, and in recent memory, according to the school's admissions department. Not only that, but he was also one of a select group of students to receive a full-ride scholarship awarded by the school.
"So far it's been great," he said. "It's also nice seeing so many Black students that are trying their best to become nurses, lawyers, doctors. It's just great to be in an environment where I see other people, and other young people, that are trying to apply themselves to be something better."
Muhammad decided to attend Coppin because his mom graduated from there and he's "always been familiar with the school."
When he was a young child, his mom played phonics CDs in the car, and he started reading at age 3. After starting pre-K, he was quickly bumped up to first grade. In middle school, he was already thinking about where he wanted to go to college. His education came through a combination of public and private schools and homeschooling, in addition to community college courses in high school.
"He's always been accelerated," his mom said. "Him being 14 in college — it's like, normal for him."
Keeping him on an accelerated track also meant shielding him from certain parts of the city, she said.
"Rather than him admiring guys on the corner, I wanted him to admire men in suits and bow ties," she said. "We have vision boards at home, and we have a lot of goals. He's a goal-setter and an achiever."
Muhammad is majoring in cybersecurity engineering, due to his interest in technology.
"When I got my first computer, I started learning a little bit more about [computer] viruses. ... I never got a virus, but I basically just wanted to learn more about how they're made and how people can essentially take over your computer."
Born and raised in Baltimore, Muhammad lives 15 minutes away from campus, and his mom drives him back and forth to his classes. He said he plans on taking internships in college, graduating at 18 and eventually starting his own company.
Muhammad received the Fanny Jackson Coppin Scholarship, a four-year, renewable award that covers tuition and up to $1,000 a year for books. Qualifying students must have at least a 3.3 high school GPA. He didn't take the ACT or SAT, which is not required for CSU admission. The school says it may consider other factors, such as resumes and letters of recommendation.
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West Muhammad, 14, is the youngest freshman attending Coppin State University. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
He is one of 31 students to receive the scholarship this year out of roughly 600 total admissions, said Jinawa McNeil, Coppin State's director of admissions.
"Students that receive that are definitely highly academically prepared for not just college, but for the co-curricular opportunities outside of just the academic work," she said. "He's definitely a very smart young man, definitely worthy of any scholarship like that."
Among staff in admissions who have worked at Coppin for more than 15 years, none of them remember a student being admitted as young as 14, McNeil said.
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Muhammad reads a book a month. His favorite genres are nonfiction, history and self-help. Among his favorite titles: "From Superman to Man" by J. A. Rogers, "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, and "Message to the Blackman in America" by Elijah Muhammad. He also likes writing, with s published online in The Final Call, an outlet founded in Chicago and associated with the Nation of Islam.
For class, he's usually less dressy, opting for a polo and khakis. His favorite course is English. He's also making friends; one of them is 22. An acquaintance passes by him in the library and they shake hands.
Muhammad said he hopes making it to college at a young age can inspire other students.
"My experience with school is just showing that those things that we may deem impossible or too hard to empower ourselves to do, are indeed possible," he said.
