Ahmed Mohamed says he’s going to the White House — and then he’s transferring schools

Two days after his arrest for bringing a homemade clock to school, Ahmed Mohamed appeared at a press conference today to address his supporters. The 14-year-old student at MacArthur High School in Irving, TX, thanked his many fans on social media, who include Mark Zuckerberg, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama, among many others. At his press conference, Ahmed said he planned to take the president up on his offer to visit him at the White House — and said he also plans to transfer to another school.

Ahmed looked upbeat during his roughly 6-minute appearance, smiling as he recounted the absurd series of events that led him to his arrest. Police have decided not to press charges after determining the clock was not a bomb, as they had originally assumed. But he remains suspended until Thursday for — again — bringing a homemade clock to school. Asked about his other inventions, he said he had previously built a pair of Bluetooth speakers (“but they’re gone now; I kind of messed up with them”) and said he was currently patenting an invention that harnesses power through neodymium magnets.

Ahmed told the crowd he’d like to appear on Shark Tank someday. In the meantime, he says, he plans to help other students who find themselves in a similar situation. And he encouraged young people to keep working on their inventions. “Don’t let people change who you are,” he said. “Even if you get consequences for it.”