This Indian-American girl is in ‘world’s brightest’ students list

The list was curated on the basis of the results of the above-grade-level tests of over 15,000 students across 76 countries. Natasha Perianayagam has also taken the Johns Hopkins Center For Talented Youth (CTY) test in Spring 2021, when she was a Grade 5 student.

At that level, Natasha Perianayagam’s results in the verbal and quantitative sections levelled with the 90th percentile of advanced Grade 8 performance, which catapulted her into the honours list that year.

In this test, Natasha Perianayagam was honoured for an exceptional performance on her SAT, ACT, School and College Ability Test, the university said in a statement.

Her parents hail from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. About Natasha Perianayagam, her parents say that she loves doodling in her spare time. She also loves reading JRR Tolkien’s novels.

The Center for Talented Youth has used above-grade-level testing to identify advanced students from around the world. The test was also done to provide a clear picture of their academic abilities.

The university release said that Natasha Perianayagam was one of the 15,300 students from 76 countries who joined the 2021-22 CTY.

Less than 27 per cent of participants met the qualifications for the CTY ceremony, where high or grand honors were awarded based on test scores. Perianayagam achieved the top grades among all participants in her latest attempt.

“This is not just recognition of our students’ 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.

(With agency inputs)