A 10-year-old girl who wants to be an astrophysicist is already earning college credits this summer at the University of Virginia.
Linda Pistun started by taking classes one day a week at UVA for what she calls “fun little lessons.”
“I was coming to UVA every Saturday and getting a fun little lesson for a few hours about the topic I chose,” Linda Pistun said.
Now, that one day a week has turned into five. Even more impressive? Linda is currently enrolled in Mandarin Chinese.
She said she loves the class because it challenges her.
“There’s so much complexity, and the characters are the hardest part for me,” she said.
According to a news release from UVA, Linda skipped three full grades and skipped six grades in math. She is starting high school this fall at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
Linda hopes to be a full-time student at UVA by the time she is 14, then go to California Institute of Technology for grad school. Her dream job is to be an astrophysicist.
“I want to be an astrophysicist because it combines my four favorite things: astronomy, chemistry, physics and mathematics,” she said.
Linda is also a published author. Her new book is called “Linda and the Mysterious Footprints.” She said the hope is to teach other kids about climate change.
“It’s a children’s book that is all about science and how we can improve our environment by decreasing our carbon footprint,” she said.
Her favorite book is Charles Darwin’s “The Origin of Species.” Linda is so interested in Darwin that she named her pet turtle after him.
Linda loves to wear bowties as a nod to Bill Nye the Science Guy. In her free time, Linda enjoys playing the violin and the piano.
“I decided to play the violin because Albert Einstein played it and it helped him think,” she said. “It actually does help me think, just like Albert Einstein.”
You can follow Linda’s scientific journey on Instagram @lindaslab.