Mr. Simons rejected an offer in which Laurent would have graduated next year without a specific deadline, arguing that such a delay was unacceptable. The university had used his son “like a Christmas tree,” he said, a glittering ornament that made the institution shine. “He’s a genius; he would still have been one of the fastest ever” to graduate from a university. Laurent made international headlines last month when his parents publicized the news that he would graduate with a degree in electrical engineering by the end of the year. In a phone interview last month, Laurent said he wanted to study medicine, get his doctorate and make artificial organs.

Source: International New York Times December 11, 2019 13:52 UTC