Moshe Kai Cavalin has been a newsmaker since he was just 11, which was when he graduated from community college. And now, the very promising teener has landed in news headlines once more, thanks to his employment at NASA.
"This year, he started online classes to get a master's in cybersecurity through the Boston area's Brandeis University," Mashable reported. "He decided to postpone that pursuit for a couple of terms, though, while he helps NASA develop surveillance technology for airplanes and drones."
He had previously earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics, has scored trophies from martial arts competitions, and had just released his second book, which is about bullying. He is currently working on his pilot's license by the end of this year.
Despite all his accomplishments and huge potential, Cavalin still insists he's just an ordinary person and that he was just lucky enough to have been reared well by his parents. As such, he hates being called a genius.
"One word I don't take too kindly is genius," he shared. "Genius is just kind of taking it too far."
Cavalin's mathematics professor, Daniel Judge, said that the 17-year-old is a hard worker, indicating that the young man was not coasting along with his intelligence.
"He actually worked harder than, I think, any other student I've ever had," Judge said of his former student.
Cavalin's accomplishments are not without its complications. He was actually initially rejected by NASA in the past due to his young age. However, they later called him back to offer work that was perfect for "an intern who knew software and knew mathematical algorithms," according to his boss Ricardo Arteaga, as noted by MailOnline.
"I also needed a pilot who could fly it on a Cessna," he added.
At NASA, Cavalin's work involved "running simulations of airplanes and drones that are headed for collision, and then finding ways to route them to safety."
Right now, the young man is looking forward to turning 18 as it will allow him to finally get his own driver's license and avoid having to rely on other people to get to or from work. He has been riding to the office with co-workers daily since he began working with NASA. He also had to hitch a ride with his landlord in order to go to the supermarket. Otherwise, he'll get a cab to take him there.
"He's really sharp in mathematics,' Arteaga said of the boy. "What we're trying to bring out more is his intuitive skills."
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