Indian-American girl in Johns Hopkins’ world’s ‘brightest’ list
Natasha Peri, 11, scores high based on testing of 19,000 students across 84 countries
New York: Indian-American schoolgirl Natasha Peri, 11, has been named in the world’s “brightest” students list based on results of above-grade-level testing of 19,000 students across 84 countries, according to Johns Hopkins Center For Talented Youth (CTY), a part of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
“Peri, a student at Thelma L. Sandmeier Elementary School, was honoured for exceptional performance on the SAT, ACT, or similar assessment taken as part of the CTY Talent Search,” said a statement from Johns Hopkins CTY.
“CTY uses above-grade-level testing to identify advanced students from around the world and provide a clear picture of their true academic abilities.”
Peri took the Johns Hopkins Talent Search test in Spring 2021, when she was in Grade 5. Her results in the verbal and quantitative sections levelled with the 90th percentile of advanced Grade 8 performance.
“This motivates me to do more,” she said, adding that doodling and reading J.R.R Tolkien’s novels may have worked for her.
As part of Johns Hopkins policy, granular information is not broken down by age or race.
Likewise, it is left to the guardian to disclose the prodigy’s name. Within the US, awardees come from all 50 US states.
“We are thrilled to celebrate these students,” said Virginia Roach, CTY’s executive director.
“In a year that was anything but ordinary, their love of learning shined through, and we are excited to help cultivate their growth as scholars and citizens throughout high school, college, and beyond.”
The quantitative section of the Johns Hopkins CTY test measures the ability to see relationships between quantities expressed in mathematical terms, the verbal section measures understanding of the meaning of words and the relationships between them.