Meet the "World's Brightest student" - Natasha Perianayagam

Natasha Perianayagam, an Indian-American student who was named one of the "world's smartest students" by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. The list is prepared based on the results of above-standard tests of more than 15,000 students from 76 countries. This is the second year in a row that Natasha, whose parents hail from Chennai, has made the list. She took the same test in 2021, when she was in the 5th grade. She was recognized this year for her exceptional performance on the SAT, ACT, School and College Ability Tests and a similar assessment conducted as part of the Center for Talented Youth search. In the last attempt, she achieved the highest points among the candidates. Less than 27 percent of the 15,300 candidates who took the tests qualified for the CTY ceremony and received either high or major honors based on their test scores.

Natasha Periyanayagam

Natasha is a student at Florence M Gaudineer Middle School in New Jersey. Natasha's Verbal and Quantitative scores equaled the 90th percentile of Grade 8 Advanced Performance, catapulting her to the honors list that year. In her spare time, Natasha enjoys doodling and reading JRR Tolkien novels.