Interviewsicle: 13-Year-Old Prodigy Joe Petraro

Welcome back to Interviewsicle, Newsicle’s interview series! 🎙️🎓 Lily sits down with inspiring guests to explore big ideas, remarkable stories and the questions kids are most curious about.

This episode features Joe Petraro, a 13-year-old college student who is making global headlines as he prepares to finish college and begin a master’s program at New York University. Joe tells Lily what it’s really like to attend college at such a young age and how he went from being placed in special education classes as a young child to discovering that he was academically advanced.

Joe also talks about overcoming major challenges, including leukemia, Tourette syndrome and bullying, and how those experiences inspired him to help others through projects focused on kindness, older adults, access to sports and clean water.

He also shares advice for kids about overcoming obstacles, believing in themselves and pursuing big goals.