A Louisiana teen prodigy became the youngest person in the state to earn a law degree over the weekend.
James “Jimmy” Chilimigras, 18, graduated summa cum laude with his Juris Doctor (JD) from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law on Saturday, adding a third degree to his already impressive resume.
“It’s really all about putting in the work,” Chilimigras told WWL-TV. “I think it’s so important. With enough hard work and perseverance, you can accomplish pretty much anything.
Chilimigras, from Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, has excelled in academics throughout his young life. He was homeschooled and graduated high school at just 12 years old before he earned a bachelor’s and a master’s in accounting at 15.
Around the same time in 2023, Chilimigras became a CPA, believed to be the youngest person in the world to obtain the license.
He began his pursuit for his JD at 15 and accomplished his goals alongside roughly 200 of his classmates inside the Smoothie King Center in the heart of New Orleans Saturday night.
“Jimmy has made an extraordinary impact on our school. He’s kind, smart, and exudes a level of maturity that belies his age. His classmates have cared for and protected him, and they have learned from and admired him,” said Madeleine Landrieu, dean of Loyola’s College of Law, according to the university.
Chilimigras ranked in the top 2 percent of his class after he earned the top grade in 40% of all the courses he took, the school said.
The teen had entered college as one of the university’s Ignatian Law Scholars and graduated as a William L. Crowe, Sr. Scholar, a distinction given to the top 10 percent of a graduating class.
“The accomplishment at Loyola which was the most difficult and is therefore one of which I am most proud… Completing five completely distinct course concentration areas while maintaining a summa cum laude GPA was the most intense thing I’ve ever done,” Chilimigras told the school.
Chilimigras earned five certificates in the concentration areas, which include taxation law, social justice, immigration and citizenship law, international legal studies, and technology and entrepreneurship.
He is thought to be the first student to graduate with more than four or more certificates of concentration.
“A distinction believed to be unmatched at Loyola,” the school said of his achievement as Chilimigras
“I’m extremely proud,” Chilimigras’ father, John, told WVUE. “Jimmy has put in a lot of work and no matter how he finished or what he did I’d be proud of him but just to see all the work he put in pay off and he accomplished the things he talked about and just he kind of dreamed of is — just watching that happen is something.”
Even with the historical achievements on his resume, Chilimigras isn’t letting up on his studies.
The teen is set to attend Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, pursuing his fourth degree, his Masters of Law (LLM) in taxation and is expected to receive his fourth degree by the age of 20.
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