Fifth-Grader Honored by Johns Hopkins for her Smarts

A Bridgewater fifth grader was recently honored as one of the smartest young students in the nation during a statewide awards ceremony sponsored by The Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth.

According to a release about the award, the ceremony was for academically advanced children.

Ashana Makhija, a student at Eisenhower Intermediate School, was honored following her performance earning high honors on an above-grade-level test that is given to academically talented students in second through eighth grades.

According to the release, students take the tests that are designed for older students in an effort to gain insight into their abilities.

Makhija was one of more than 40,000 students in 120 countries who participated in the talent search, and only up to 30 percent of those students received an invitation to the awards ceremony.

"Today we face critical global problems that require the best minds of the future to solve using discipline, creativity and innovation," said Elaine Tuttle Hansen, executive director of CTY, in the release. "It's inspiring and reassuring to see this group of some of the best and brightest students emerging and to know that they will become tomorrow's thought leaders and innovators."