TMSG: UNT President Offers 8-Year-Old Kid Inventor Full Ride

Most third graders can probably tell you what they want to be when they grow up, but can they tell where they're going to college?

A third grader in Frisco knows his college destination -- and he knows it's already paid for!

The full ride for the boy, who turned nine years old Friday, is today's Tell Me Something Good.

Prince Nallamothula was at Frisco City Hall Tuesday where Mayor Jeff Cheney declared Jan. 15 Prince Nallamothula Day.

Prince is a third grader at Talley Elementary and has been recognized nationally as part of the "Young Inventor Challenge."

"Great job representing Frisco, Prince!" is what the city posted on its Twitter page.

"It's really exciting," Prince said. "Because I have my own holiday all to myself!"

That's not even half the story.

Prince is an invention machine with international acclaim.

His national recognition came November 2018 when his Happy Family smart phone app won an award at the Young Inventor Challenge at the Chicago Toy and Game Fair.

Another award came in the international Paradigm Challenge for his Sneeze Pod, which aids in preventing the spread of germs.

Prince is also working on a remote farming tool he calls "Grobot." "You can set a schedule to, like, on this day and this time go plow the fields," Prince explained. "I just want their work to become easier."

"He has a lot of curiosity," said Lalitha Nallamothula, Prince's mother and the person he credits for his inspiration. "He is curious about how things work."

Somehow between school and inventing, Prince fits in his own YouTube Channel where he talks about quantum physics.

He's so impressive the University of North Texas now it wants him on campus when he graduates from high school.

UNT President Neal Smatresk and dean of New College Wesley Randall were at city hall the night Prince was honored and explained one of his inventions.

"So he gives this pitch, it's compelling," said Randall, getting emotional as he recalled seeing Prince. "He's not trying to buy a yacht. He's trying to make it easier to farm food. It's pretty cool"

Video from Frisco City Hall showed Smatresk coming from out of the audience to approach Prince, hand him his business card and say, "I'd like to offer you a  full ride scholarship to UNT."  

Kris Muller, senior communications specialist confirmed it an email to NBC 5 saying Smatresk "was so impressed by Prince that he offered him the scholarship on the spot."

"It was a surprise to us," explained Prince's father, Balu Nallamothula. 

"This little boy is both adorable and eloquent. He loves to share his knowledge with enthusiasm and surprising poise," Muller said.

"I just want to make the world a better place," Prince said.

So where does someone so young get such big ideas?

"Head and heart," he whispered.

"We're so excited to be able to engage the next generation and at the possibility of having Prince join the UNT family," Heather Noel of UNT said.

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