Local Home Schooling Success

WWAY TV 3 WILMINGTON -- She's a 12-year-old girl raising the eyebrows of fellow students and teachers at Cape Fear Community College. Instead of going to middle school like most kids her age, Julia Nepper is taking a full college course-load. Julia Nepper began reading at the young age of two. Her parents home-schooled her and now, still a youngster at 12 years old, Julia is taking on college. Julia Nepper picks a seat in trigonometry class, her pink shoes swinging, not even touching the ground. Her book seems bigger than she is. But Julia says college is not intimidating at all. "It is pretty much the same except the people are taller and older," Julia said. Julia's father, Richard Nepper, vividly remembers when he first noticed his toddler's intellectual talents. Richard said, "When we drove into a Wal-Mart parking lot and she pointed at the sign at the top of the building and blurted out the word Wal-Mart." So where will Julia go when she graduates community college at age 14? "I want to go to UNCW and get a masters degree and then maybe go to Duke. And maybe get a Ph.D.," she said.