Her name consistently comes up on lists of the greatest prodigies of our time. But Mikaela Fudolig has set her eyes on a new goal—to become a lawyer.
This physics prodigy has passed the University of the Philippines’ Law Aptitude Exam (LAE), ensuring her a spot in the country’s top law school this school year.
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Fudolig was only 11 years old and was a sophomore student at the Quezon City Science High School when, through the Early College Placement Program, an experimental program for gifted children, she was allowed to enrol in the University of the Philippines Diliman as a non-degree student.
Fudolig quickly adjusted to college life, and after a year of academic excellence, the UP Board of regents approved her admission to the university under a degree program.
In 2007, she graduated summa cum laude with a general weighted average of 1.099, earning a bachelor’s degree in physics. She also received the Best BS Physics Student Award, as well as the Dean’s Medallion for Excellence in Undergraduate Studies at the UP College of Science. She was 16 years old when she graduated.
She became part of the faculty of the Institute of Physics shortly after graduation, and earned her master’s degree and doctoral degree in physics in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
Fudolig was also a Fulbright scholar for doctoral enrichment in economics at the University of California-Irvine.
“Many people think that a child, even if equipped with the mental abilities, is not emotionally prepared to enter college. I am glad to have proven them wrong,” she is quoted to have said in an article posted on Facebook.
Geniuses of today
Here are other names that make it to the list of modern child geniuses and prodigies. Their prowess may confound us, but their contributions to society and its progress will surely continue to draw adulation and appreciation from us all.
Taylor Wilson
Wilson built his first functioning fusor, a device that creates nuclear fusion, at the age of 14. When he was just 10 years old, he created a bomb. In May 2011, his radiation detector model won the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
Cameron Thompson
Thompson’s mathematical prowess first became apparent when he was 4 years old after he corrected his teacher’s claim that zero is the lowest number. Thompson pointed out that the teacher had forgotten the negative numbers.
At the age of 11, he he began to study Mathematics at the Open University. Despite having Asperger’s Syndrome, Thompson has earned his reputation as a math genius and was even featured in BBC’s “The Growing Pains of a Teenage Genius.”
Jacob Barnett
Barnett was diagnosed with severe autism at the age of two. His parents were told that he would probably never learn to talk or read, and would need help in doing basic activities. It was amazing, therefore, when, in the following year, Barnett started reciting the alphabet backwards and forwards.
Barnett was 10 when he enrolled at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and would later take up a PhD in Quantum Physics.
March Tian Boedihardjo
At nine years old, he was youngest person to attend Hong Kong University. In 2011, he finished a double-degree program (Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Science and Master of Philosophy in Mathematics).
Gregory Smith
This young man was able to read at the age of two, later enrolling in university when he was just 10 years old. He also travels around the world in his spare time as a peace and children’s rights activist.
He is the founder of International Youth Advocates, an organization promoting peace and understanding among the youth. He was nominated for the Noble Peace Prize for his humanitarian work when he was 12.
Akim Camara
Camara is a violinist prodigy from Berlin who began playing the violin at the age of two. In December 2003, at the age of three, he made his debut performance at a Christmas concert.
Ethan Bortnick
Bortnick is an American pianist, singer, composer, songwriter, actor, musician, and one of the youngest humanitarians in the world. Ethan became the youngest artist to have his own National PBS Concert Special. He started playing the keyboard when he was only three years old.
At the age of five, he moved on to composing his own music. Bortnick is a Guinness World Record holder as the world’s youngest solo musician to ever star in his own tour.
Tanishq Matthew Abraham
Abraham had published articles on astronomy on NASA’s Lunar Science website when he was seven years old. He was pulled out of the Sacramento public school system when he was nine years old to join higher level classes among students more than twice his age.
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