California student passes state bar at a record 17 years, 8 months old

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A 17-year-old former Oxford Academy student just became the youngest person to pass the California bar exam.

Sophia Park learned on Nov. 8 that she had passed the July 2024 exam, which will allow her to become a practicing lawyer in the state.

At 17 years, 8 months old, Park beat the record for the youngest person to pass the state bar exam – set by her brother, Peter Park. He was just three months older when he passed in 2023, according to the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office, which announced Sophia Park’s achievement this week.

Park is a law clerk for the DA’s office and will become a prosecutor next March, joining her brother who is already working in the Tulare County office.

The siblings attended Arnold Elementary School in Cypress and later Oxford Academy, also in town and part of the Anaheim Union High School District, according to their father, ByungJoo Park. The family now lives in Visalia.

Park started law school in 2020 when she was 13 and attending Oxford Academy. She finished high school in 2022 after passing the California High School Proficiency Exam and graduated from Northwestern California University School of Law in 2024.

Park was surrounded by her family when she got her bar exam results, the scene of the group hugging and jumping in glee caught on video and posted to YouTube.

ByungJoo Park, a patent agent, said his family lived in Cypress for 10 years before leaving in 2023 after his son accepted a law clerk position at the Tulare County DA’s Office.

“Our decade in Orange County holds many fond memories for our family,” ByungJoo Park said in an email. “We’re grateful for the educational opportunities and experiences that helped shape both Peter and Sophia’s paths.”

Sophia and Peter Park were members of Arnold Elementary’s math team and won several categories at Orange County Math Field Day competitions, ByungJoo Park said. They also took part in Explorer programs with the Cypress Police Department and the Orange County Law Enforcement Explorer Advisor’s Association, which provided experiences that helped shape their career paths, he said.

“As a prosecutor, I will work to see justice served and ensure that victims’ voices are heard,” Sophia Park said in a news release from the Tulare County DA’s Office.

The DA’s Office said the two used a state bar rule that allows students to apply to law school after passing College Level Proficiency Exams, which are standardized tests that are administered by the College Board.

“Sophia’s amazing accomplishments speak for themselves, and we could not be prouder as an office family,” Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward said in a statement. “It really is quite remarkable the success we have had with our law students, interns and law clerks attaining their professional dreams. The dividends for our office have been immense, and we are excited to be part of Sophia and Peter’s continued success.”

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