University of Cambridge's youngest-ever black professor couldn't read at 18 years

A man has surprised many after revealing his story that he did not know how to read until he was 18 years old but that now he is the youngest black professor at the University of Cambridge.

Jason Arday, who is now 37 years old, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and global developmental delay when he was just a child.

According to the New York Post magazine, Arday broke all those thresholds and is now a professor, at only 37 years old.

Due to Autism, Arday could not speak until he was 11 years old and the first time he learned to read was when he was 18 years old.

“Less than a decade ago, Arday was given a negative review: He would need to stay in an assisted living facility.

He refused to make it a reality, writing that he would "work at Oxford or Cambridge" on his mother's bedroom wall, cementing one of his life goals.

Now, he is the youngest black professor at Cambridge University.

He teaches sociology of education,” the New York Post reported. He told the BBC that watching Nelson Mandela's release in 1990 and witnessing South Africa's 1995 Rugby World Cup victory were among the most formative moments of his young life, vowing that if he "didn't make it as a footballer or professional diver," then he would "save the world."

March 6 will be his first day. According to the BBC, there are only five other black professors at the university. In the face of adversity, he was hell-bent on turning the tide in his favor.

He went on to earn two master's degrees after receiving a degree in physical education and education from the University of Surrey.

He later obtained a PhD from John Moores University, Liverpool in 2016.