Saheela Ibraheem
At 15, the brilliant Saheela Ibraheem, who achieved a near-perfect S.A.T. score, caused a media frenzy when she was accepted into 13 Ivy League schools. The teen, who speaks English, Arabic, Spanish and Latin, eventually chose Harvard University, where she is currently studying neuroscience or neurobiology — scientific study of the nervous system.
Her mother, Shakirat Ibraheem, said she always stressed education and began working with her daughter when she was a year old. She said she urges all parents to do so.
“Kids should try to listen to their parents most of the time, ” Saheela said. “They know what they’re doing. It all comes down to the support I’ve had at home, from my parents.”
Kelvin Doe
Kelvin Doe, 15, is an engineering whiz from Sierra Leone who scours trash bins for spare parts, which he uses to build batteries, generators and transmitters. Completely self-taught, Kelvin has created his own radio station and broadcasts news and plays music under the alias, DJ Focus.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology doctorate student David Sengeh noticed Doe’s obvious potential and decided get him to one of the most prestigious math and science schools in the world. There, Doe’s true genius was further unlocked as he had access to resources most children in America take for granted.
Doe eventually became the youngest person in history to be invited to the “Visiting Practitioner’s Program” at MIT.
