ENIOLA OYEMOLADE writes on the accomplishment of a secondary school student, Fareedah Oyolola, who was honoured by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth (CTY) as one of the brightest students in the world.
After her outstanding performance in the advanced School and College Ability Test (SCAT), Fareedah Oyolola, a student of Greensprings School, Lagos, has been honoured by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth (CTY), as one of the brightest students in the world.
The SCAT is a test that every student must undergo in order for the centre to determine their current academic abilities before admitting them into its talent search programme. It tests student’s verbal and quantitative reasoning.
Students worldwide apply to the CTY with up to 84 countries represented in its 2020 to 2021 programme.
Oyolola attributed her high scores in the test to the hard work put in by her teachers towards developing her comprehension abilities and mathematical skills.
She said: “The test was a multiple-choice aptitude test in verbal and quantitative reasoning, and I had to answer 100 questions within 44 minutes! At the end of the test, my score was in the 92nd percentile for verbal reasoning and 87th percentile for quantitative reasoning.
“There’s no way I would have gotten these high scores with such a limited time window without the great efforts put in by my teachers towards developing my comprehension abilities and mathematical skills. I am very grateful to them.”
In a statement issued by the Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth, the Executive Director, Virginia Roach, congratulated Fareedah and other outstanding students across the world.
She praised their love for learning, especially in a year that was more than ordinary as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said: “We are thrilled to celebrate these students. 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.
“In times like these, we are reminded that the world needs leaders, educators, health care providers, artists creators and problem solvers. Therefore, we hope you will use your talents to find success in college and your career, serve your community and cultivate a love of learning that will last a lifetime.”
Mrs Magdalene Okrikri, the principal at Greensprings school, Anthony campus, also expressed her satisfaction with Fareedah’s honour, noting that it brought joy to her heart.
She said: “This honour brings great joy to my heart. Fareedah’s achievement is a testament that our Thinking School programme is rewarding to our students, helping them to develop mentally and strengthening their cognitive abilities.”
Oyolola and other honourees from other countries are expected to attend a summer programme in the United States or Hong Kong.
The programme will groom the students in advanced placement and various disciplines including computer science and technology, history and social science, language arts, mathematics, science and engineering as well as world languages.
The Johns Hopkins CTY was established 42 years ago by Julian Stanley, an American Psychologist who pioneered the filed of Gifted Education. The centre’s mission is to serve bright learners and their families through their renowned programmes, research, counselling services and advocacy.
This is because in identifying and developing the talents of advanced pre-university students to better the world today, the centre hopes to improve it for generations to come.
The CTY was established as a research study into how academically advanced children learn and it became the first programme to identify academically talented students through above-grade-level testing and provide them with challenging learning opportunities.
CTY offers summer academics, online learning, and family programmes to students from around the world and has nearly 30,000 programme enrollments annually with financial aid available.
Its mission is to identify, develop, and support the diverse community of academically advanced pre-college learners, in partnership with their families, teachers, and other educators worldwide.
Its vision is to further research, guide educators and families, and to inspire students from diverse communities and backgrounds to pursue their intellectual passions and create the world of tomorrow.
Some alumni of the CTY programme include musician and actress, Lady Gaga; founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg and co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin.
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