BY RAZA MIAN, GUEST WRITER TO THE TIMES
GAINESVILLE – While authenticating and verifying an unbelievable news story, our extensive research has confirmed the rarity of achieving two Master’s degrees at the young age of 21 through American conventional education.
According to our findings, the minimum requirement for a Master’s degree is a Bachelor’s degree, which typically takes four years of undergraduate study to complete. Even with an accelerated three-year Bachelor’s program, obtaining two Master’s degrees would require an additional four years of study, this is in addition to 13 years of schooling from kindergarten to 12th grade of High School. Therefore, it is highly unlikely for an individual to accomplish such a remarkable feat within the traditional American education system, and if any that may be eligible for a Guinness World Record.
Furthermore, completing two Master’s degrees in such a short time frame would require an exceptionally demanding and rigorous academic schedule, making it challenging for most students to manage. While it is possible for some individuals to earn multiple Master’s degrees at a young age through non-conventional means, it remains an uncommon achievement within the conventional education system in the USA. This is because the minimum requirement for a Master’s degree is a Bachelor’s degree, which typically takes four years of undergraduate study to complete.
Even if someone completed their Bachelor’s degree in three years (which is rare but possible), they would still need to complete two Master’s programs, which would take at least two years each, assuming they completed the minimum required coursework without any breaks or interruptions. This would mean that they would be at least 25 years old by the time they completed both Master’s degrees.
In an unprecedented breakthrough, we are thrilled to announce that Amn Mian, a talented young Floridian, has accomplished the incredible feat of earning two Master’s degrees through conventional American education. Amn’s academic journey includes 13 years of schooling, progressing through all grade levels starting with kindergarten to elementary school, middle school and high school. Then continuing on to two universities for an undergraduate degree and two Master’s degrees, without taking any shortcuts, such as home/ charter schooling, virtual/cyber schooling or skipping classes. Throughout the academic journey he maintained his grades high enough to receive academic scholarships. Amn accomplished this extraordinary milestone at the age of 21, attributing it besides meticulous planning, unwavering dedication, immense hard work, sacrifices and luck.
Both personal and parental sacrifices played significant roles in Amn’s journey. The young prodigy had to forgo numerous recreational activities typical of his age, while his parents adjusted their schedules to support and accompany him throughout his academic pursuit and kept moving to the best school district areas as he progressed through from elementary, middle, high school. Moreover, luck played a crucial role, as Amn only by one day met the minimum age requirement of 5 years old for school admission in New York and 15 years old for admission to Harvard’s summer school. Additionally, Amn’s high school grades were submitted just minutes before the deadline, allowing him to graduate in 2018, thanks to the diligent efforts of Ms. Catherine Curry, Director of Student Services at Winter Park High School, Florida.
The astonishing achievement, currently undergoing the application process with Guinness World Records, would have belonged to Amn’s brother, Arman Mian, had Amn not accomplished it. Arman, only 11 months older than Amn, has also exhibited remarkable talent. He also attended the prestigious summer program at Harvard University. In August 2014, at the age of 13, Arman gained recognition which was in local newspapers including The Orlando Times as “the youngest to score perfect in Florida State Assessment tests,” receiving a certificate from Florida Governor Rick Scott and a personal phone call from his office to commemorate the achievement.
The two brothers recently graduated from the University of Florida, ranked as one of the top 5 public universities in the USA, obtaining their second Master’s degree in Information Systems and Operations Management. Amn specialized in Information Technology, while Arman focused on Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. Before this Master’s degree, the two obtained a Master of Science degree in Entrepreneurship, also from the same prestigious university. Prior to their Master’s degrees, both brothers earned Bachelor of Science degrees in health sciences, with intentions of following in their mother’s footsteps to become physicians. However, driven by their intrigue in the rapidly developing IT and AI technologies, they decided to channel their passion for helping people through these fields. Their determination led them to pursue Master’s programs that equipped them with the necessary skills to start their own business in the technology sector. Their entrepreneurial aspirations were reinforced when they, along with two other team members, secured first place in a national start-up competition held in Gainesville, Florida, in November 2021. Notably, Amn demonstrated his leadership qualities by representing the Master of Science in Entrepreneurship program on the University of Florida Graduate Student Council during their academic journey.
The foundation for their business endeavors was laid by their father, Raza W. Mian, a member of the esteemed high IQ society, American Mensa. Holding an MBA in marketing with Summa Cum Laude, Mr. Mian is the CEO of Disney Fashion World Inc. and an inventor with over 100 invention ideas that await patent filing and development. The brothers plan to collaborate with their father, prioritizing integration of their technological expertise into his inventions and ideas.
Some of the memories of Amn and Arman showing their unique talent that their parents are preserving: i) A note from Amn’s 1st grade teacher Ms. Lipp praising his ability to memorize and recite even backwards with the same fluency. ii) Arman’s 6th-grade teacher Mrs. Whitmer’s recorded message lauding Arman as the only one to get perfect score in all of her classes. iii) The Certificate/letter from the Florida governor Rick Scott acknowledging the incredible feat of Arman to be the youngest to score perfect in Florida State Assessment tests. iv) A copy of a poster displayed Town-wide featuring Arman and Amn as 1st place winners in Start-up competition. v) The Newspapers editions of August 2014 with Arman news as “the youngest to score perfect in Florida State Assessments”.
Based on our research and assessment, Amn and Arman have the potential to qualify for numerous academic records. Some of these records include Amn as the youngest individual to graduate through American conventional education with two Master’s degrees, the youngest pair of brothers to achieve two Master’s degrees through American conventional education, Amn as the youngest admitted to a school in New York, Amn as the youngest admitted to Harvard, and the youngest brothers to win first place in a national start-up competition.
The remarkable accomplishments of the Mian family serve as a true inspiration and role model for students worldwide, especially those from minority backgrounds and third-world countries. As born Americans to a Pakistani-origin family settled in the USA since 1975, their journey epitomizes the pursuit of excellence and the triumph of determination over adversity.
