Sacramento teen graduates with a master’s degree, will begin her doctorate studies in the fall

By Brittany Hope

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — A Sacramento teen is making history, breaking barriers and showing why representation matters.

At 18 years old, Tiara Abraham just graduated with her master’s degree in music from Indiana University’s prestigious Jacobs School of Music. Abraham’s family says she is the youngest student to achieve this milestone in 2024 across all seven IU campuses.

In the fall, she’s returning to Indiana to begin her doctorate studies.

“I’ve always been the youngest in the classroom,” the teen told KCRA 3.

Abraham became a member of the High IQ Society at age 4, started college classes at age 7, graduated high school at age 13, and transferred to UC Davis as a junior at age 14.

She earned her bachelor of arts in music from the university at 16 years old and sang the national anthem at her graduation ceremony.

Trained in opera and Western classical music, Abraham has already performed around the world at Carnegie Hall and the Vatican.

Upon graduation from her doctorate program, Abraham says she hopes to perform in opera houses around the world and eventually teach.

“There’s not many South Asians in the opera field,” she said. “There’s just a handful, and so I definitely feel like it’s important to make my mark in the field for future South Asians who want to pursue opera.”

The 18-year-old comes from a family filled with success.

In June 2023, KCRA 3 introduced you to her older brother, Tanishq Abraham, who became one of the youngest people in the world to earn his Ph.D. at just 19 years old. He studied biomedical engineering at UC Davis.

The siblings’ mother, Dr. Taji Abraham, said she is so proud of both of her children.

“I think my humble advice would be just to follow the passion of your children,” she said.

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