Most 10-year-olds count down the days until summer vacation.
Ichamo Ozaena is counting down assignments.
While many kids are spending their summer break riding bikes, playing video games or sleeping in, the Arizona fifth-grader is heading somewhere she loves just as much: the library.
“I set deadlines, Google tasks, and try to organize, uh, organize and follow the rubric,” Ichamo said.
And yes, she’s 10 years old.
At an age when many children are trying to avoid homework, Ichamo is building study plans and taking college courses. She recently earned an A in her first class at Rio Salado College and is now spending part of her summer tackling English 101.
“I’m passionate about debate and English,” she said. “I’m also passionate about law.”
Her ambitions don’t stop there.
“After I get an associate’s degree at 13, I do plan to get a bachelor’s and go to Harvard Law School and t-and try to become a lawyer at 19,” she said.
Her family says those goals come from genuine curiosity, not pressure.
“And I believe in this country that you can be anything you want to be,” a family member said. “Um, so I encourage her to fly.”
That love of learning started early. Ichamo was reading by age three and published her first book when she was seven.
Now she is balancing childhood with college coursework, something her mother admits can feel a little surreal.
“Sometimes I’ll tell her, ‘Please slow down,’” her mom said.
Being far ahead academically can also make it difficult to connect with kids her own age.
“They talk about, um, Cinderella. They talk about toys,” Ichamo said.
The conversations she enjoys tend to be a little different.
“But she talks about what adults talk about,” her mother said.
Still, family members say she hasn’t lost sight of being a kid. She’s simply a kid whose summer reading list happens to include college assignments.
And while her future may one day include a law degree, a courtroom or even a run for higher office, for now, Ichamo remains focused on what she’s always loved most: learning.
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