- Curtis is 15 years old and he's the youngest student at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. (applause) - Now he's here with his parents, Malene?
- Yes sir. - And Curtis Jr. - Yes.
- Thank you, sir. Welcome to the show, everybody. Welcome to the show.
- [Family] Thank you. - So, let me ask you this, man. How did you end up at George
Washington University? - So, my high school, School Without Walls High School, it's located on George
Washington's campus. They have a program where you apply for it in your sophomore year and you go through an application process. You have to write an essay, and then you have to do an interview with the advisor of the program. If you get in, then for your 11th and 12th grade years, you take all of your classes at GW. Then you end up graduating with your high school diploma and
your associate's degree. (applause) - My man. You know something man, you know smart is a gift? It's better than running,
jumping, singing and dancing, 'cause running, jumping and
singing and dancing runs out. Smart don't ever run out, man. That's a pretty good
gift you got. (applause) So let me ask you this, Curt. What was the first day
of college like for you? - I kind of already
knew the campus because my high school was on the campus, so we were able to go out for lunch and I was able to explore a little bit. So I was pretty good with the whole where I was supposed to go part. But, going into my first class, it was Calculus 1. - It was what? - It was Calculus 1. - How the other college
students react to you? What's that been like? - First it was with a lot of surprise. On that first day in the math class, some of the college students, they came over to my
table and they're like, "How old are you? "How did you get here?" And so, I've been
explaining stuff since then. And then now, I feel all of them just treat me like a
normal college student. - How have your grades been in school? - They're pretty good. I currently have a 4.04 GPA. (applause) - What's the lowest grade you ever got? - The lowest grade I've
ever gotten is a B minus. - Oh, get your ass outta here. (laughter) What? A B minus! You've never had a C before? - No. As my parents say, the only C that they allow in the house is the C in my name. (laughter and applause) - Let me ask you something.
You're the parents. What do you do, ma'am? - I'm an educator. - And you, sir? - I'm a principal. (laughter and applause) - When did you first realize that he was, I guess, is the word, gifted? - Well, when Curtis was about two, he would put together-- - [Steve] Two? - Two years old. He would put together 100-piece, 500-piece puzzles. He was reading at two. I just taught him at home, and he went into kindergarten
at four years old, and then he was skipped twice. - Skipped? - Skipped two grades. - Wow. I ain't never been skipped before. I've been put back. (laughter) Oh man, that's really amazing. Did you always think you were smart? - No. For elementary school, my parents put me in a predominantly black
gifted school in Harlem known as TAG Young Scholars. Being surrounded by people who were the same age as me, who were just as gifted as me, it kind of just felt
like the normal thing. - [Steve] Pretty normal, huh? - Yeah. - So, Curtis, Jr., most parents have to help their kids with their schoolwork. As smart as he is, did you have to help him at home? - We did not have to help
him with a lot of work. But there were times where even though he knew he had it right, he wanted affirmation that it was right. I would say, "I don't know." He was like, "Yes you do." But I couldn't do some of the stuff. (laughter) - Really? Do you ever think, man, that you might miss out on being a typical teenager? How's that fitting into your life? - So, the good thing about being at GW and not another school, I can still go back to my high school. I form my schedule around the lunch period so I can go back and eat lunch with my friends if I want to. I can go back and just--
- Oh, you still got homies and stuff? - Yeah. (laughter) So let me ask something, dawg. You got a girlfriend? - No. - No? What's her name? (laughter) You don't want to tell me? - My textbook? (laughter and applause) - My man. I like that, boy! I like that! That's a good answer. Boy, your mama's so happy. Look at her.
(laughter) She just so proud of you. My textbook.
(laughter) Boy, I didn't even know
where my textbook was. (laughter) Man. So, let me ask you this, man. What would you like to
do after you graduate George Washington? - I want to get my bachelor's degree at either Florida A&M,
Morehouse or Hampton. - Oh, you gonna go to HBCU? (cheers and applause) Oh-kay, I see you, boy. Yeah, that's good, that's good. But your parents, they smart like that, 'cause they sent you to that gifted school in Harlem. So they understand the importance of the cultural experience too. Let me ask you this. For a profession, for a living, what do you think you want to do? - I want to be a paleontologist. - Paleontol-- what is that? - They study fossils and ancient life. - You real smart. This is what I want you
to think about, man. I ain't getting in the way of your parents 'cause they've done an excellent job. So you probably don't even, you mind if I just say a little something?
- No, go ahead. - 'cause they can correct, Listen to me. You real smart, kid. I want you to take this smart
and I want you to flip it. I want you to be the
same person that you are, be kind, good-spirited, love and respect women, obey the law. You already on track for that. But I want you to think
about business too, 'cause a guy smart as you, man, yeah business, boy, you be, whoo! Now I want you to turn around, I want you to buy something real nice for your mom and daddy. Pay them back for all
this money they spending, sending you off to them
colleges and everything, while you're down there
looking at the rocks. We got a deal on that, man?
(applause) That's a good deal. You want to play a game with me to test my knowledge on
dinosaurs and fossils? - Yeah. So we're gonna put some
names on the screen and we're gonna see if
you can pronounce them. (laughter) - Boy, you don't know who you
messing with. Let me go on, let me get ready right here. Get my mind right, man, focus. This boy right here gonna come on my show, make me look like no damn fool. (laughter) Alright, go ahead and put it up, Polly. Let's go. - All right, here we go, for the first one. - Malcolm Jefferson.
(laughter) Malcolm Jefferson was my
homeboy back in school. Me and Malcolm, used to run them streets
with me down at Dingy's. Dingy's was a chicken
wing and foot-long place. So, that's Malcolm. Real name of that, the clinical name is, I'm trying to sound it out,
(laughter) but, went to public school. Dude say, "Sound it out!"
(laughter) I'm trying.
(laughter) Mega-lo-ny-ix. - Close.
- Close, okay. Hold tight. Meg-lin-axe. - No.
- Okay, what is it, man? - [Curtis] Megalonyx Jeffersonii. - Oh, Jeffersonii. I thought that was Jefferson the second. (laughter) Wait a minute! That's why, when I said Malcolm Jefferson, I just didn't say the second. I thought that was,
(laughing hysterically) Okay, what's the next one, man? That's good. Oh, I'm
fittin' to nail this one. I'm fittin' to mess you
up right here, homie. Go back to school, sound it out. Petro, petro, that's gas. Petro trig,
(laughter) trig is close to calculus. Petro-trig-onia. Onia was this fine chick that went to school in the third grade.
(laughter) Petro trigonia thoracica. - It's pterotrigonia, - [Steve] Terro? - [Curtis] Terro.
- No, no, no. No it don't. You see that P? (laughter) - [Audience Member] The P's silent. - No, no, no, no. What you mean it's silent?
(laughter) It's up there! And then the last word? - Thoracica. - Thoracica. Alright, what else, man? - You know where this one's from? - This one right here?
- Mm-hmm. It's from Tennessee. You know what's special about Tennessee? - Jack Daniels? (laughter and clapping) - That's where you met
your wife, Miss Marjorie. (audience oohs and aahs) - Yeah, you better know boy. Come on, I ain't know you knew that. I like that. Yeah, that's exactly, that sure is where I met her, Memphis, Tennessee, boy. She walked in and I said,
"Boy, look at this fine "pterodactyl thing here."
(laughter) Alright, you got one more? Oh man, ain't no way in hell I can put that together. Micro, that's probably eh-crop. The M probably silent too. Eh-crop, macro-pac-hi-thop-ful- loss-o-saurus, micro-patha- sof-ah-locka- saurus, macro-pachy- cephalosaurus, macro-pacha-cepha-saureous. - You were super close. - Boy, shut up!
(laughter) - Micropachycephalosaurus. (applause) (cheering) - Hey, you made it to
the end of this video. I got a lot more that you're gonna enjoy, so just click to watch the next one, and make sure you subscribe to always know what's happening.
