MAKING NIGERIA PROUD : 16-Year-Old Nigerian Girl Saheela Ibraheem Named Among World’s 50 Smartest Teens ... NigerianMonitor

Monday, October 28, 2013

MAKING NIGERIA PROUD : 16-Year-Old Nigerian Girl Saheela Ibraheem Named Among World’s 50 Smartest Teens ... NigerianMonitor

A 16-year-old Nigerian girl has made headlines when her name emerged in the ‘The World’s 50 Smartest Teenagers’ list.
Saheela Ibraheem, who is passionate about many things, “especially” math and science, believes that if one is passionate about what they do, they will succeed.
A little over a year ago, the girl who was born to Nigerian parents in Edison, New Jersey, the US, has been accepted into Harvard University, becoming one of the youngest students ever to attend that school.
She had to choose from 13 other prestigious colleges, including MIT, the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Brown, Princeton, Columbia, and the University of Chicago, but eventually listened to her 7-year-old brother’s advice who also dreams of being admitted to Harvard.
Saheela says, at the age of only five she found out the key to success: knowing what you love to learn as early as possible.
Described by others as polite and humble, the girl says her very supportive Nigerian parents sometimes taught her subjects the schools didn’t offer.
The teen is also interested in languages, and knows Yoruba, Arabic, Spanish, and Latin, in addition to English.
Offering a role model to her colleagues, Saheela, who dons a hijab, is also into sports, as she plays softball, soccer, and the trombone.
She also sings in the school choir and serves as president of the school’s investment club.
The promising girl plans to major in either neurobiology or neuroscience, and hopes to become a scientist in order to study how the brain works.
“I try my best in everything I do,” Saheela said, confirming that there is nothing special about her brain. ”Anyone who’s motivated can work wonders.”
Despite her activities, she names her family as her number one priority.