LARGO, Fla. — An 11-year-old in Pinellas County has excelled in school and will soon begin his first college course at St. Petersburg College in January.
Marcus Serrano said he loves a good challenge. He likes chess, puzzles, books and LEGO sets.
He also is really good at math.
"The difficult math, like the one that I have to learn, is the kind I enjoy the most," Marcus said. "I really like it when I solve a hard problem. It makes me feel good."
His parents said he has always excelled at school.
"When he was 9 years old, he was taking algebra, trigonometry and precalculus," Ernie Serrano said, Marcus' father. "That's when I freaked out."
Marcus recently took the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT). The test's purpose is to determine accurate course placement based on the student's skills and abilities.
His parents said he scored a perfect score in PERT Math, earning a 150.
"The requirements for reading and writing for college level are like a 103 and 106. For reading, he got a 95, so right under the college level," Ernie said. " In writing, he got a 111. It was very good at passing the minimum score required."
Marcus then took the ACCUPLACER, an academic placement test. It tests a student's knowledge in a certain subject. His parents said he scored a 285 out of 300 in math.
"His score placed him in a calculus with analytic geometry class," Ernie said. "In order for a student to take that class, they need to pass four college math tests. I know there’s a lot of parents that have gifted kids. They are really on them and want them to be in college right away, but that was not our case. He's going to start with that one college class and the dual enrollment. In order for this to happen, he needs to be placed in homeschooling, which he already started."
His parents said while Marcus loves his academic work, he also likes to have fun playing tennis, basketball, or swimming. He also likes to go skiing.
"We're just so glad that he's going to be learning new things," Jolanta Serrano said, Marcus' mother. "It's just going to be so great for our family for him to have these opportunities. We're so proud of him."
Marcus is thrilled to take a college class and learn more. He wants to be an engineer when he grows up.
"I want to find new planets or build the Mars rovers," Marcus said.
He offered advice to other students.
"Try to learn as much as you can and try your best," Marcus said.
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