Nigerian genius, Saheela Ibraheem, 19, made history On
Thursday, February, 26, when she was honoured with
an official reception in the White House by the US
President, Barack Obama and the First Lady, Michelle.
Saheela Ibraheem got into the Ivy League Harvard at
the age of 15, where she is currently studying
neurobiology — a branch of science that studies the
brain — and has been listed among the "World's 50
Smartest Teenagers."
She was also accepted for admission by 13 other top
colleges in the United States, including the MIT,
Princeton, Columbia, and six Ivy League institutions,
choosing Harvard, she became one of the youngest
students to ever attend the university.
She will be graduating in May this year.
Speaking after an introductory speech by Ibraheem at
the White House, President Obama stated that "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."
Ibraheem, who skipped two grades in school, said the
key to success is figuring out what you love to learn as
early as possible, which she did at the young age of
five.
"If you are passionate about what you do, and I am
passionate about most of these things, especially with
math and science, it will work out well," she told CBS
2s Cindy Hsu.
In addition, Ibraheem speaks four languages that
include Arabic, Spanish and Latin.
Her mother, Shakirat Ibraheem, said her daughter has
been way ahead of the academic game since
kindergarten — never cutting corners and trying to do
everything on her own. "She's like always
independent," she said. "I never get to help with her
homework because she'd say 'it's my work mommy, not
yours.'"
Ibraheem's recognition and reception was part of the
"Black History Month" celebration in the US, which
comes up in February.
The "Black History Month", takes root from the
activities of the "Association for the Study of African
American Life and History."
Every year, Americans set aside the month of February
to celebrate the central role that African-Americans
have played in every aspect of American life especially
the march for freedom and equality, jobs and justice,
the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and some
profound contributions African-Americans make in the
American culture.
Present at the evening event were members of the US
Congress, including Leader Nancy Pelosi, and members
of the Congressional Black Caucus. |
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