From GED Student to UT Austin: Amarillo College Graduate Pursues Neuroscience

Efren King always knew he wanted to work with computers.

Growing up without a formal education, he spent countless hours teaching himself programming and taking computers apart and putting them back together. When he decided to pursue a college degree in computer science, he discovered he first needed to earn a GED.

That realization brought him to Amarillo College.

While working toward his GED, King discovered AC's STEM Scholars program and decided to continue his education by pursuing an associate degree. He graduated in May with a 3.87 GPA and this fall will begin studying neuroscience at The University of Texas at Austin.

King describes his upbringing as "unschooling," a style of education in which children largely direct their own learning rather than following a structured curriculum.

Initially a computer science engineering major, King discovered an interest in combining technology with medicine through his experiences at AC.

"I've always loved medicine as well," he said. "When I saw neuroscience, I was thinking I can possibly combine that with computer science. In the future, I may get a dual major in computer science and do brain-computer interfaces."

The journey wasn't easy. Having never formally studied math, King failed his first college math exam and questioned whether he belonged in college.

"I got like a 40 on that thing, and I was like, 'This is not for me. I can't do this,'" he said.

STEM Scholars Program Director April Ramirez encouraged him to keep going.

"She is the only reason I am here right now, if I'm being honest," King said. "She really pushed me to keep going. She told me, 'If someone else has done it, you can probably do it. Just keep pushing.'"

King persevered. He completed an internship with Region 16 and one with Texas A&M AgriLife in Bushland, participated in the STEM Scholars employability forum and became a math tutor.

"Efren is genuinely one of the most humble and driven students I've ever met," Ramirez said. "I am so proud and excited for him." She believes King is the first student from AC's STEM Scholars program, established through a 2021 grant, to transfer to UT Austin.

King hopes to pursue a career in medicine and research, potentially earning an M.D. or combined M.D.-Ph.D. in computational neurology.