William Maillis completed high school at the age of 9 and earned a bachelor’s degree three years later. He aims to obtain a Ph.D. by age 18, intending to use science to challenge some theories proposed by renowned scientists Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
In the summer of 2018, a small-framed boy stepped up to the podium, adjusted the microphone, and read a verse from the Bible in Greek before quoting a famous saying from the French philosopher René Descartes.
This was how 9-year-old William Maillis began his graduation speech at Penn-Trafford High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Three years later, at age 12, William graduated from St. Petersburg College. This American prodigy has defied the conventional age norms with impressive academic achievements.
Prodigy William Maillis graduated from college at just 12 years old.
Mathematics Whiz, Author at Age 2
William’s extraordinary intellect began to show from his early years. Born in 2007, he demonstrated curiosity and an innate talent for learning. His parents quickly recognized their son’s special abilities and always supported and encouraged him, fostering an environment conducive to intellectual development and exploration.
William spoke in complete sentences by the age of 7 months. He could perform addition at 21 months—barely 2 years old—and was doing multiplication and division by age 2. Additionally, William read all the children’s books and wrote his own titled “Happy Cat”, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
By age 4, William was studying algebra, sign language, and reading Greek. In elementary schools, algebra is not formally taught until at least grade 5, but by age 5, he had read an entire 209-page geometry textbook in one night and woke up to solve perimeter problems the next morning.
“Make everything a game,” William’s father said about parenting, describing how their refrigerator door was covered in magnetic letters and numbers that their son would arrange into words or math problems.
A YouTube video posted by his father shows 4-year-old William solving mathematical equations. He confidently explains the absence of life on Mars. William’s voice sounds like any other child’s, with a drawn-out tone. However, what he is saying goes far beyond the innocence typically associated with children.
Joanne Ruthsatz, a psychology professor at Ohio State University who has studied William, declared him a genius, stating that the ratio of children like him is about 1 in 10 million.
“Geniuses are always motivated to do things beyond the ordinary. They care deeply about the ‘bigger picture’ of humanity,” the psychology professor explained. “University seems to be a better place for them. People are more accepting.”
Wants to Prove God’s Existence Through Science
“How old are you?” is a constant question William receives in college. “Are you really serious about studying at university?” However, professors quickly realize that the boy is highly independent and often leads the class.
The 12-year-old also impressed a history professor with his detailed lecture on World War I as the most significant event of the 20th century.
William wants to prove God’s existence through science.
At an age when most children focus on video games, William Maillis spends his time studying science, exploring, and examining the flaws in Stephen Hawking’s views that God does not exist.
In fact, William’s desire to become an astrophysicist stems from his strong belief that he disagrees with some theories proposed by scientists Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking regarding black holes, and he has his own ideas to demonstrate the existence of the universe.
“Hawking’s theory suggests that gravity will not have a cause; gravity cannot create something,” William argues, stating that gravity is merely a force and cannot create anything on its own. Gravity needs something to act upon to cause any effect. Therefore, if there is nothing for gravity to act on, nothing will happen. In other words, nothing added to nothing does not mean there is nothing.
William Maillis aims to earn a Ph.D. by age 18, wishing to use his scientific expertise to prove the existence of God. He believes that science and religion do not contradict each other, affirming that a higher power created the universe.
William’s parents share that they have never pressured their son to study. “We are ordinary people,” his father explains. “You are an ordinary child. You are like any other 10-year-old. William enjoys sports, television shows, computers, and video games just like everyone else.”
When it comes to his genius label, William Maillis states that he feels no different from his peers. He says, “I have a talent for what I am talented in, and others have talents in other areas.”
