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Natasha Perianayagam, an Indian-American schoolgirl, was named to the “world’s brightest” students list for the second year in a row by the US-based Johns Hopkins Center For Talented Youth, based on the results of above-grade-level tests taken by over 15,000 students from 76 countries.
Perianayagam, 13, attends New Jersey’s Florence M Gaudineer Middle School.
She also took the Johns Hopkins Center For Talented Youth (CTY) test as a Grade 5 student in the spring of 2021.
Her verbal and mathematical results were in the 90th percentile of advanced Grade 8 achievement, propelling her to the honors list that year.
This year, she was commended for her outstanding achievement on the SAT, ACT, School and College Ability Test, or a comparable exam taken as part of the CTY Talent Search, the university said in a press release on Monday.
Perianayagam, whose parents are from Chennai, enjoys doodling and reading JRR Tolkien’s writings in her spare time.
CTY utilized above-grade-level testing to discover advanced students worldwide and provide a detailed picture of their academic talents.
Perianayagam was one of 15,300 students from 76 countries that joined CTY in the 2021-22 Talent Search year, according to a university announcement.
Less than 27% of individuals who took the test qualified for the CTY ceremony, where they received either high or grand honors.
Perianayagam received the highest grades among all candidates on her most recent try.
“This is not just recognition of our student’s success on one test, but a salute to their love of discovery and learning, and all the knowledge they have accumulated in their young lives so far,” said CTY’s executive director Dr. Amy Shelton.
“It is exciting to think about all the ways in which they will use that potential to discover their passions, engage in rewarding and enriching experiences, and achieve remarkable things — in their communities and in the world,” she added. PTI LKJ VM VM