SONORA, Calif. (AP) -- Frequent moves, his parents' divorce and being homeless for a while have not kept a 17-year-old Sonora student from scoring a perfect 800 on five of his Scholastic Aptitude Tests.
Trevor Loflin, a home-schooled high school student, got the perfect scores on the verbal, writing, physics and two math SATs. He also scored high in chemistry with a 770, literature (790) and biology (710). His lowest score was in Spanish with 560.
Now, with help from fellow churchgoers, Trevor, his mother, Cynthia Hamilton, and his two sisters have moved into an apartment, and Trevor's focusing on college.
Trevor is a semifinalist for the presidential scholar award, given to 100 high school students across the nation. It's not a monetary award, so Trevor's also scouring the Internet for scholarships.
He said he plans to study physics at the California Institute of Technology, but not until after he studies religion at Bob Jones University in South Carolina.
The teen has attended public high schools, but said he feels more comfortable being homeschooled.
"It is more personalized at home," he told The Union Democrat newspaper in Sonora. "Public schools have to appeal to the average student, and I'm not average."
Trevor, who spends his time writing computer code, likes spelunking and blacksmithing and has managed to keep up with his studies through his parents' divorce and custody battle and frequent moves.
The family has lived in a car, a trailer, spare apartments, a motel and in-law apartments offered by their church, the Grace Baptist Church in Sonora. They've moved through four states and lived in eight cities in California alone.
Faith has gotten the family through tough times, Hamilton said. She was a pediatrician, but after a bout with pneumonia and a financial setback, she decided to spend more time with her children. Hamilton lost her job, her home and her money.
Trevor's father, James, is a doctor in Texas, but Trevor said he does not have much contact with him.