The warm night, the watermelon covered children, the starry sky reflecting on Lake Hamilton, and the red white and blue attire screamed Fourth of July. It was the classic American holiday surrounded with friends and family. The only difference between that summer night in 2007 and now, was the company, a soon-to-be discovered genius.

“I swear guys the worst thing that can happen is that we kill a couple fish,” Taylor Wilson told Riley Rogers and Mary Claire Boudreaux [now juniors] as he motioned to light the first firework. Those words were all the security two sixth grade girls needed to stop worrying and enjoy the show. However, his next few words were anything but comforting.

“DUCK AND COVER!”

There was a “mishap” with the firework. Instead of plunging deep into Lake Hamilton, it came soaring back to the deck and porch, crowded with teenagers, parents, small children and animal bi-standers. This was no shock. Mishaps like this happened all the time when, our families got together.

It’s funny to think that the dorky kid we knew and loved as “the smarty who had a Dextor-like laboratory in his garage” is now the world’s youngest nuclear physicist. During those few seconds of the firework fiasco, we would have never thought that he would soon be doing this for a living.

Taylor Wilson is a teenager. At only 17 years of age, he has an impressive resume. He created nuclear fusion at the age of 14, when he attended to Texas Middle School. He is not only the youngest person in the world to create a nuclear fusion reactor, but also one of the few in the world.

From working on nuclear fusion in his garage [which many told him was impossible] and testing the DNA from his dog, Jacy, to becoming a leading expert in the world in counter terrorism and nuclear medicine treatment of cancer with radioactive materials, Wilson became the worlds youngest nuclear physicist.

“With the right resources,” Wilson said, “anything is possible.”

He gave an inspirational speech to the middle school STEM students on Sept. 30 about his accomplishments.

“Our students really enjoyed listening to Taylor’s remarkable career path,” said Susie Rogers, seventh grade STEM English teacher. “ His enthusiasm was contagious and the students had many questions and discussion long after he left.”

He has created new ways to lower the cost for creating isotopes for cancer treatment. Taylor also has the ability to say that he has the largest collection of nuclear products in the world. Another amazing experience Taylor has had winning first place in the international science fair, placing himself at the top of the world.

Not only is Taylor famous in the scientific world, but also in the media world. In the last year he has been on the cover of LA times and featured in GQ magazine for his soon-to-be-deployed nuclear bomb detectors for counter terrorism.

This just shows that with the right mindset and determination anything can be achieved, even from someone who grew up in a town like Texarkana.