When Benyamin Bamburac got into the car Friday to graduate from Lewis University, he didn’t get behind the wheel. Because he’s not old enough to drive.
At 15, Benyamin, of Romeoville, crossed the graduation stage as the university’s youngest student ever to receive his master’s degree from the school in its nearly 100-year tenure. His master’s in computer science with a specialization in artificial intelligence became the fourth higher education degree he has earned in the past five years.
Benyamin, not one to waste words, only said, “It feels great.”
From a young age, parents Djordje and Sally Lou Bamburac knew that their son was special.
At just 8 months old, Benyamin Bamburac was able to read fluently. At 5 years old, he was able to complete college-level calculus equations. So, after just one year at public school, Benyamin’s parents decided to homeschool him through an online program.
Benyamin’s parents described public school as an “awful” fit.
“In every class, they put him in the corner because he was trying to teach children,” Djordje said. “But then they heard he was trying to teach his teacher organic chemistry at the age of 6.”
Through online school, Benyamin was able to complete first grade through 12th grade math in just 10 months. His reading and writing skills also excelled. Benyamin enrolled at Joliet Junior College at 9 years old and received an associate’s degree one year later.
Because Benyamin was so young, his parents drove him to and from class, and were required by the university to stay in the building while Benyamin sat in lectures. His father also had to carry his backpack to class.
“He was not big enough to carry his backpack. It was too heavy,” Djordje said.
After two years at JJC, Benyamin went on to enroll at Lewis University in Romeoville for his final years of school. He was eligible for graduation with an undergraduate degree in mathematics at 13, but decided to hold off a year and pick up a second bachelor’s degree in computer science.
“I liked math initially, and I was passionate about math. Eventually, I also became really interested in programming and computer science, so my curriculum kind of pivoted towards that,” Benyamin said.
Despite the age difference between Benyamin and his classmates, he said the gap never concerned him or impacted his learning.
“For me, even though there’s a big age difference, we study, we look at the same lectures, we do the same homework, and it’s more about the material than the age difference,” Benyamin said.
Djordje said that Benyamin chose to attend Lewis University because it was a short drive from the family’s Romeoville home. Lewis University is a religious institution following the Lasallian tradition, meaning the school prides itself on “meeting students where they are.”
“In some ways, Benny is not an exception. He still completes the same coursework that everyone else had to,” said Kathrynne Skonicki, executive director for public relations and communications at Lewis University. “The only difference that is unique about him is his age.”
Not only is Benyamin’s graduation historic for the university, but his educational accomplishments are rare. Across the country, just 55,051 students under the age of 18 graduated with their bachelor’s degrees, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Fewer yet get a graduate degree before becoming a legal adult.
“He’s not just smart; he put some serious work into it,” his dad said. “Like everything in life, it’s nice when you’re out in real work and there is a result of it. You can be as smart as you want, but if you don’t sit and study, you’re not going to achieve much.”
Benyamin now joins other area prodigies who earned postgraduate degrees at young ages. In 2024, Dorothy Jean Tillman II, then 18, earned a a Ph.D. from from Arizona State University, becoming its youngest person ever to graduate from its behavioral health doctoral program. In 2012, Sho Yano became the youngest student in the University of Chicago’s history to receive an M.D. at age 21 after starting college at age 9.
For now, Benyamin will spend some time relaxing after a grueling five years of work. He enjoys spending time with his family, camping, chess, blueberry picking and swimming.
After that, Benyamin plans to enter the professional world. He is looking to accept a job in the computer science field.
“We’re really proud of Benny,” Skonicki said. “This was certainly a challenging task and journey for him, and we’re really proud.”
