Steve Harvey Foundation Blesses 12-Year-Old Prodigy by Paying College Tuition

A 12-year-old prodigy will be enrolling at Georgia Tech with comedian and TV host Steve Harvey paying the bill.

Caleb Anderson enrolled at Chattahoochee Technical College in Marietta, Georgia, at the age of 11, which raised eyebrows and media interest as his story began to spread.

When news of the boy’s prowess reached Harvey, he offered to pay for Caleb’s next three years, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Caleb will be the youngest person to study aerospace engineering at the university.

The Anderson family thanked Harvey on its Facebook page.

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“We were excited,” said Kobi Anderson, Caleb’s dad. “We were surprised. Caleb was blown away and just extremely grateful.”

The family went public with Caleb’s story, as his mother, Claire, said, “to be a voice for the gifted community,” according to WXIA-TV in Atlanta.

Caleb’s intellectual achievements began young, and his mom made sure she could back them up.

“I am grateful I videotaped Caleb when he was young because I don’t think people would have believed us that a 2-year-old was reading the United States Constitution,” she said.

That’s not all. According to WXIA, he knew 250 sign-language words at 9 months old. Now that he can talk, Cabeb can speak in Spanish, French and Mandarin in addition to English.

The publicity led Georgia Tech to contact the family.

“When Georgia Tech reached out to us,  it was a dream come true,” Kobi Anderson said.

“I’ve had a lot of attention,” Caleb said.

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“Whenever I tell people how old I am and what grade I’m in, I end up being the focus of a lot of attention, and being the focus of a lot of attention does not bother me too much,” he said. “However, I can get nervous sometimes.”

Anderson said Harvey asked Caleb to speak about his life to inspire others and let gifted students know they are not alone.

Caleb’s father said the process has brought them closer.

“I’m getting to know my son in ways that I’ve never known him because people are asking him questions that I may not have thought to ask,” he said. “We are cherishing these moments.”

In writing about Harvey’s gift on the website GodUpdates, Heather Riggleman noted that Harvey and his wife set up the foundation that will fund Caleb to help others.

“Blessing others is something God wants each of us to do when we can, where we can, and however we can,” she wrote. “It can be as simple as holding the door for someone, providing groceries, or lifting them up in prayer.

“A gift of this magnitude will multiply and bless others as Caleb grows up.”

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