An 11-year-old Korean-American prodigy is in the spotlight for gaining college admission.
Justin Lee, a sixth-grader at Montgomery Catholic Holy Spirit Elementary Campus in Montgomery, Alabama, has received an admission letter into Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) at just 11 years old.
Lee has previously demonstrated his exceptional giftedness by winning the Montgomery Spelling Bee for the past two years in a row and setting national records in the Accelerated Reader (AR) program since third grade.
Lee’s exceptional talents were evident even before his first birthday.
“I loved reading to Justin before he turned one, going through 10 books every day. By the age of 3, he began reading English books independently,” recalled Hyeyeon Lim, Justin’s mother. “Justin was assessed for giftedness at 4 and joined Mensa at 6 with an IQ of 160. He now has an IQ of 208.”
Lee’s family says he loves to read, and his first-grade achievement test showed him reading at a 12th-grade level.
Lee applied for admission at Auburn University last year after taking a chemistry course with the dean, who encouraged him to apply.
“It took about two months of screening due to the age limit for university admission,” said Lim. “After Justin won first place as the youngest in the county spelling bee in the fourth grade, the dean of the AUM chemistry department contacted our family to teach Justin. Since then, he has been taking chemistry lectures once a week, which has given him a great opportunity to expand his learning.”
Lim says she has no plans to enroll Justin in university at this time. “It’s a great opportunity, but Justin is currently serving as his school’s student president, and I don’t plan to send him to college to skip all the courses,” Lim said. “For Justin’s broader learning opportunities, we are looking to take two or three courses in science at Auburn University next year.”
Lee’s keen interest in learning and medicine is inspired by his grandfather, a former director of the National Academy of Medicine of Korea. He aspires to study the development of therapeutic drugs that can save the lives of people in Africa and elsewhere who suffer from diseases for which there is no cure.
Lim, Justin’s mother, studied in the U.S. as a college student and currently works as a college admissions consultant. His father, Donghyun Lee, works as an accountant. “I came to the U.S. for my husband’s bachelor’s degree and settled down in the U.S. after having Justin,” said Lim.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Lee is also actively involved in sports and the arts. He was the youngest in the region to earn a third degree in taekwondo at the age of 10 and is currently learning to play basketball. Lee also enjoys playing the piano, guitar, and trumpet.
“As a parent, I see Justin as a brilliant child, but we haven’t done anything extraordinary for his education,” said Lim. “We do not force him, and we always give him choices. When Justin asks for help, we try our best to help him. I think it is important to talk to a child about the smallest things and build a deep bond with them.”
BY YEJIN KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.yejin3@koreadaily.com]
