Every gifted child has a unique story. The following story is part of a series of posts highlighting gifted children and adults we have found through ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ programs, depicting the many faces of gifted. – mentioned in this story – provides young students with challenging enrichment classes that focus on exploration and application of knowledge.

Phillip
Academy Student

Although ten-year-old Phillip is only a fourth grader, he knows what he wants to be when he grows up, and he’s studying now for his future. Phillip wants to be a chemist and is taking through ±ő·ˇ´ˇâ€™s Academy.

ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ has partnered with h-bar tutoring in Pasadena to offer exciting, instructive, hands-on classes year-round for motivated students like Phillip in grades 2-8.

Phillip has taken most of the classes Academy has offered. His first class was Neuro- Energy. “I took this class because it appealed to my doctor side,” he said. “I liked all of the classes, but my favorite is Scientists Like Me because it taught me a lot about many important scientists, like Eratosthenes.”

Classes are developed and taught by content area specialists – many of whom are Caltech PhD students – and typically focus on math, science or history. Recent courses include Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Mysteries of History, Rocket to Calculus and Sustainable Earth. New classes are introduced all the time; Playwriting, Astronomy and Theatre have been added for this year’s summer session.

Parents often find out about Academy classes through word of mouth from other parents. “Phillip’s classmate’s mom told me about it, and I am very happy to know that ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ exists,” Phillip’s mom, Ming, said. Ming has since spread the word; at least two of Phillip’s classmates have also taken Academy classes, and another friend will be starting this summer.

In addition to Academy classes, Phillip keeps busy with choir, basketball, piano, art, golf and Boy Scouts. He likes watching the Olympics and the NBA and will travel to China this summer.

When I asked Ming if she’s seen a difference in Phillip since he’s been taking Academy classes, she said, “Yes, he seems more confident and comfortable exploring new subjects and has become a more independent learner.”

It is true that Phillip and the other Academy students are engaged and motivated learners, but they are still kids. So, Phillip answered three important questions for me:

1. What is your favorite food?
   Pasta Carbonara with white wine sauce
2. What is your favorite TV show or book?
   The Hunger Games series
3. If you could create your own Academy class, what would it be?
   An aerodynamic/paper airplane class

Academy classes run year-round at our office in South Pasadena, California. This summer, Academy will have two sessions: June 18 to July 6 and July 16 to August 2. Kids can take one to four classes in one or both of the sessions. For more information, an application and class schedules, visit the of our website. Sign up today!

Have your kids participated in enrichment classes? What was their experience? Please share with us in the comments below.

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Every gifted child has a unique story. The following story is part of a series of posts highlighting gifted children and adults we have found through ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ programs, depicting the many faces of gifted.

Last week, we shared of a story about Garrett Marcotte, an Apprenticeship alumnus who is now working as a software engineer at Facebook.

Garrett Marcotte
ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ Apprentice at Avery Research Center in 2004
Software engineer, Facebook

In 2004, Garrett was a high school sophomore who had just finished – and enjoyed – AP Chemistry and was interested in applying what he had learned in class to a real work environment. The ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ at Avery Research Center gave him a taste of what life is like in an actual chemical research lab, and “the residency at Caltech, the chance to meet other students with similar interests, and the opportunity for one-on-one mentorship were added bonuses that made the program a great fit.”

Garrett worked at Avery on a project in optical spectroscopy, the study of how light interacts with physical objects. He was assigned to devise a test method for the thin plastic film Avery developed that was able to change its opacity in response to an electrical current. Garrett explained:

We wanted to evaluate the effectiveness of the ‘transparent’ and ‘opaque’ states. Was ‘transparent’ actually see-through, or was it slightly blurry? Did ‘opaque’ still let some light through? Did it distort the images behind the film? Were the properties uniform across the surface of the film or did they vary from point to point? Did the properties stay constant with repeated switching, or were there changes from use? Most importantly, we wanted to attach numbers to each of these qualitative questions so that we could compare and rank different formulations for the film.

The test process I developed involved first photographing an image with and without the film, and then uploading that image to a computer to be analyzed. The bulk of my time was spent writing the code for the algorithms that analyzed the images. I had to devise the exact details of the metrics we wanted to measure, get the program running to compute them, and then calibrate my results against baseline measures we could get with other equipment in the lab. Then I had to streamline the process so it could be done quickly for dozens of samples, and have all the data presented neatly for comparison. It was a tall order for a sophomore with limited exposure to calculus, programming, image processing, and a number of other fields that could have made my life much easier. But because of the challenge, every success was all the more fulfilling, and I worked down to the final day to have a finished product I could genuinely be proud of.

As for working in an adult environment at such an early age, Garrett said that the resources available at Avery Research Center were amazing:

There was a moment in the first few days when I realized that not only did the equipment in the lab cost more than my house and everything in it, but I had free reign to use any of it, and if I needed help, a trained specialist was close at hand to point me in the right direction. That confluence of high tech and specialized knowledge is rarely seen even in the best funded of research universities, and seeing the possibilities at Avery was one of many experiences that led me away from academia and into a career in industry.

After that summer experience, Garrett approached his high school studies with a different perspective. He was better able to filter the lessons through the lens of practical application.

“Today I could redo my project in a few days better than I did in six weeks at Avery. But there’s no question that those hours of effort pushed me to where I am today.”

To see where Garrett is today, read .

±ő·ˇ´ˇâ€™s – mentioned in this story – links gifted high school students from across the country with mentors who advance each participant’s skills through the application of knowledge and exposure to real world experiences. If Garrett’s experience sounds like something you would enjoy, !

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