When he collected his testamur at the University of Southern Queensland last Friday, Jozef Borja-Erece became one of Australia’s youngest ever law graduates.
At just 18-years old, he is currently studying towards his Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice and expects to complete the course and apply for admission as a lawyer in June. As to what the future holds, Borja-Erece says that he’s considering a career at the Queensland Bar and will also look at postgraduate study options.
Borja-Erece, who began studying law at age 15, skipped three years during high school and graduated top of his class.
In addition to his academic talents, he also plays basketball semi-professionally, holds a third degree black belt in taekwondo, and plays the violin.
Borja-Erece isn’t the only young graduate to complete their legal studies. In 2014, 19-year-old law graduate Liuzhuo Chen was admitted to legal practice in Victoria where she is believed to be the state’s youngest-ever lawyer.
At the other end of the spectrum, Australian Allan Stewart set a world record when he completed his UNE law degree at the age of 91. Several years later, he became the world’s oldest university graduate twice over when he completed another university degree, aged 97. Last month, he turned 100.
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