Peter Park, 17, has made legal history by becoming the youngest person to pass the California bar exam. (Tulare County District Attorney's Office)
Tulare County, Calif.
A California teenager became the youngest person in the state’s history to pass the bar exam.
According to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, Peter Park broke the California record by passing the bar exam earlier this year at the age of 17.
State officials said the previous record holder was 18 years old.
Park received his test results on Nov. 9 after taking the exam in July.
“It was not easy, but it was worth it. It required discipline and strategy to pass the bar, and I made it in the end,” Park said.
He turned 18 in late November and was sworn in on Wednesday as one of California’s youngest practicing attorneys.
“I aspire to become a prosecutor because I am driven by a moral obligation to uphold liberty, equality, and justice in society. I admire how prosecutors keep our community safe and bring closure to victims,” he said.
At 13 years old, Park began high school at Oxford Academy in Southern California. He also enrolled in a four-year juris doctor program at Northwestern California University School of Law.
After graduating high school in 2021 by taking the California High School Proficiency Exam, Park focused on law school and graduated earlier this year.
Park then became a law clerk with the Tulare County District Attorney in August.
“I am extremely blessed to have discovered this path, and I hope that more people will realize that alternative paths exist to becoming an attorney,” he said.