Call her a prodigy, a genius or a superstar, one thing’s for sure: Saheela Ibraheem is no ordinary teenager. Accepted into Harvard University’s Department of Neurobiology at age 15, Saheela is currently ranked 21st on The Best Schools’ list of the world’s smartest teenagers. Fluent in four languages (including Latin and Yoruba), the 19-year-old skipped several classes in secondary school because of her precociousness: she was always several steps ahead of her peers. Saheela’s brilliance extended beyond the classroom: she sang in the school choir, played the trombone, was a defender for the school soccer team, was on the swim team and headed the school’s investment club. Talk about an all-rounder.
With a SAT score of 2,340, Saheela applied to fourteen universities in 2011, gaining admission into thirteen of them (Stanford, MIT and Cornell included). She decided on Harvard, choosing to study neurobiology with the intention of becoming a research scientist who studies the brain. Still, Saheela is modest about her achievements and believes that with effort and the right kind of support, anyone can achieve greatness. “I try my best in everything I do,” she said. “Anyone who’s motivated can work wonders.”
Saheela recently introduced US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle at a Black History Month event which held in the Green Room of the White House. Acknowledging her exceptional nature, Obama said, “We are so proud of your accomplishments and all that lies ahead of you, and you reflect our history. Young people like this inspire our future.” Watch a video from the event below.BACKGROUND Saheela Ibraheem is the daughter of a United State’s Nigerian-born immigrant parents - Sarafa Ibraheem and Shakirat Ibraheem. Sarafa, Saheela’s father is a graduate of the University of Ibadan, a prestigious Nigerian University. Mr. Ibraheem is a financial analyst at C-level executive, a major financial group in New York. Saheela took after his father and other family members whom she enjoys a very close-knit with. She is a child prodigy and has attributed her success in academics to her family unit and credits them with guiding her education throughout her academic career. Education. Saheela and her parents lived in Piscataway, New Jersey. She attended Edison school, where she was allowed to skip the sixth and ninth grades of junior high school. Her parents who were concerned that the public school did not pose enough challenge for her moved to Wardlaw-Hartridge, a private school in the Edison, New Jersey school district where Saheela had her high school career as a tenth grader. Saheela later got her admission at the age of 15 into Ivy League Harvard where she is currently studying Neurobiology — a branch of science that studies the brain. She is going to graduate in May 2015. 13 top US colleges have indicated interest in and expressed their willingness to see the girl among their students. Saheela however, chose Harvard campus, and became one of the youngest students in the university’s history. Achievements. Saheela is now one of the 50 world’s smartest teenagers. Apart from academics Saheela also engages in several extracurricular activities. She was the president of her school’s Investment Club. She also takes part in sporting activities. Accordingly, she is into soccer, swimming and softball. Apart from English language and her mother tongue, Saheela is fluent in other three different languages: Arabic, Spanish and Latin. Commendation. President Obama, in February, 2015, at an occasion; Black History Month, commended Saheela while she visited, and was officially received at the white house. During the visit, According to the Leadership’s report of March 1, 2015, Obama stated as follows: “There are a lot of teenagers in the world. Saheela is like one of the 50 smartest ones. That’s pretty smart. And she’s a wonderful young lady. She’s like the State Department and the National Institute of Health all rolled into one. And we are so proud of your accomplishments and all that lies ahead of you. And you reflect our history. Young people like you inspire our future” Black History month, otherwise called African-American History Month, is an annual observance in the USA, Canada, and UK dedicated for the remembrance of the important people and events in the history of the Africans in Diaspora and the contributions they made wherever they are found all over the world.
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