Indian-American Girl Natasha Perianayagam Named As 'World's Brightest' Student For Second Time

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On Monday, 6 February, Indian-American schoolgirl Natasha Perianayagam was again under the spotlight by becoming the 'World's brightest's student for the second year in a row.

The test was conducted by the prestigious institute Johns Hopkins Center For Talented Youth's list of the "world's brightest" where more than 15,000 students from 76 different countries participated which were above grade level, said the university in a press release.

CTY's purpose was to identify advanced students from across the globe and have a clear picture of their academic abilities.

Who is Natasha Perianayagam?

Natasha Perianayagam's parents hail from Chennai, India. Her hobbies include reading JRR Tolkien's novels and doodling.

Listed as one of the brightest students for the second year running, 13-year-old Natasha is currently pursuing her studies at Florence M. Gaudineer Middle School in New Jersey, United States, mentioned a PTI report.

In 2021, when she was in class 5, Natasha took the Johns Hopkins Center For Talented Youth (CTY) exam for the first time. Her 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 2023, Natasha was honoured for her outstanding performance on the SAT, ACT, School and College Ability Test, or similar assessment taken as part of the CTY Talent Search. She scored the highest among all candidates.

CTY's executive director Dr Amy Shelton said in the same press release that '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.'

"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 PTI inputs)