iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
A nine-year-old Indian American schoolgirl has been adjudged as one of the world’s brightest students by Johns Hopkins based on the results of above-grade-level tests of over 16,000 students across 90 countries.
Preesha Chakraborty, a Warm Spring Elementary school student in Fremont, California, took the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth (JH-CTY) test in Summer 2023 as a Grade 3 student. She figured in the list after the results of above-grade-level tests of all the students from more than 90 countries around the world were assessed.
Founded in 1979, CTY is a center for innovation dedicated to advancing the field of gifted education through research on testing, programs, and other support for advanced learners. The CTY was established when a seventh grader from Baltimore had finished all the mathematical lessons one could have at school. It prompted a professor of psychology from Johns Hopkins to design unique grade-based academic assessment programs for talented kids.
Preesha has joined the meritorious club of Indian American child prodigies – Natasha Perianayagam, Samedha Saxena, Aaryaveer Kochhar, Advay Misra, and Vihaan Mane, who have been adjudged as the world’s brightest students by Johns Hopkins in recent years. Preesha’s cognitive abilities shone through as she excelled in the Scholastic Assessment Test, American College Testing, and School and College Ability Test conducted as part of the CTY Talent Search 2023. Less than 30 percent of students qualify each year for either High Honors or Grand Honors/SET based on their test scores.
Preesha also registered an impressive score in the verbal and quantitative sections, which is on par with the 99th percentile of advanced Grade 5 performances. The Fremont girl’s academic brilliance has qualified her for more than 250 CTY’s online and on-campus summer programs for 2-12 graders in various academic areas such as mathematics, computer programming, chemistry, physics, reading, and writing.
Recognizing her extraordinary learning abilities her Indian-origin parents encouraged her to take part in talent tests and competitions, including the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test. She secured 99 percentiles on the test and ensured that she became one of the youngest members of the Mensa Foundation. The foundation offers lifetime membership for the intellectually gifted who score 98th percentile or higher in an approved intelligence test. Apart from academics, she also likes to travel, hike, and mixed martial arts.
“This is not just recognition of students’ performance on one test, but a testament to their curiosity and capacity for learning,” Amy Shelton, Executive Director of the CTY, said. “These students have demonstrated enormous potential, and now we encourage them to seek out experiences and communities that help them challenge and stretch their knowledge, connect with other young scholars, understand diverse perspectives, think critically, and pursue their goals confidently.”
[Photo courtesy: Twitter]
