Meet Preesha, 9, Indian-American Girl Among World's Brightest Students

An Indian-American schoolgirl made history by securing her name on the 'World's Brightest Students' list by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth (JH-CTY). Preesha Chakraborty made it to the list at just 9 years old, a report in the Press Trust of India said. The California-based girl took the JH-CTY test in the summer of 2023 as a Grade 3 student, among 16,000 students across 90 countries. Chakraborty was honoured for her exceptional performance on the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test), ACT (American College Testing), School and College Ability Test, or similar assessments as part of the CTY Talent Search.

The media report said that less than 30% of students make it to the High/Grad Honours based on their score, and Chakraborty was one of them. She aced in the test's verbal and quantitative sections, on par with the 99th percentile of advanced Grade 5 performances.

How The Indian-American Prodigy Did It

Press Trust of India reported that Chakraborty's achievement qualifies her for more than 250 of Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth's online and on-campus programmes for brilliant students in grades 2-12 in mathematics, computer programming, chemistry, physics, reading, and writing.

Amy Shelton, Executive Director of the CTY, said, "This is not just recognition of students' performance on one test, but a testament to their curiosity and capacity for learning. 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."

More About Preesha Chakraborty

At age six, Chakraborty also made it to the high-IQ society Mensa Foundation as a lifetime member. The Mensa is open to individuals who flaunt an intelligence quotient higher than the 98th percentile on standardised, supervised, or other approved intelligence tests. Chakraborty scored in the 99th percentile in the national level NNAT (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test), which assesses K-12 students for gifted and talented programmes.

According to Chakraborty's parents, the little genius has always been curious and passionate about learning. They said that she has consistently displayed exceptional academic abilities. They also said that Chakraborty enjoys travelling, hiking, and mixed martial arts outside of her studies.