Edison, New Jersey Teen Saheela Ibraheem Headed To Harvard With Aspirations Of Becoming Scientist And Study The Brain

Saheela Ibraheem, 15, Headed To Harvard With Aspirations Of Becoming Scientist

Edison, N.J. Resident Also Accepted At Princeton, Columbia, MIT

May 4, 2011 9:30 PM

Saheela Ibraheem (credit: CBS 2)

Reporting Cindy Hsu

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Local, News, NJ News, Seen On CBS 2HD, Watch + Listen

EDISON, N.J. (CBS 2) — Many parents dream of their children going to Harvard one day. But one local resident has actualized the goal of getting into the prestigious university — at 15 years old!

Saheela Ibraheem, of Edison, was also accepted to MIT and 13 other schools, including Princeton and Columbia before settling on Harvard after falling in love with the campus.

Ibraheem skipped two grades and said the key to success is figuring out what you love to learn as early as possible — something she did at age 5.

“If you are passionate about what you do, and I am passionate about most of these things, especially with math and science, it will work out well,” Ibraheem told CBS 2′s Cindy Hsu.

Her mother, Shakirat Ibraheem, said Saheela has been way ahead of the academic game since kindergarten — never cutting corners and trying to do everything on her own.

“She’s like always independent,” the teen’s mother said. “I never get to help with her homework because she’d say ‘it’s my work mommy, not yours.’”

The Harvard-bound teen speaks Arabic, Spanish and Latin. She said she hopes to become a research scientist and study the brain.

Ibraheem’s teachers at The Wardlaw-Hartridge School said their student was an old soul.

“I believe that she’s 15 years old, because I’m told that. But other than that I have a hard time,” Jim O’Halloran said.

In addition to academics, Ibraheem plays the trombone, softball and soccer. Despite her activities, Ibraheem said her number one priority was her family. Her 7-year-old brother Saleem was her biggest cheerleader when it came to picking a college.

“I was really psyched because she got into a great school and I wanted to go to Harvard, too,” her brother said.

As far as Ibraheem’s advice for her fellow aspiring students?

“Kids should try to listen to their parents most of the time. They know what they’re doing,” she said.

Please offer your thoughts on this amazing teenager in the comments section below.

Saheela Ibraheem, 15, Headed To Harvard With Aspirations Of Becoming Scientist

abagun zainab

this is unbeliveable,well saheela i wish you the best of the best of goodlucks,dont work yourself too hard.just take it nice and slow.may almaighty Allah bless you.
Kenny

There are alot of us like HER in Nigeria. We need help. Let these foreign schools come over and test us. We dont make noise ‘cus empty barrels make the loudest noise. Our problem is just that most of us(d youths) living in Nigeria dont ‘ve this opportunity.
All d same i say congratulations to her nd am happy for her…lol

Tolu

Yeah Kenny and Saheela – Big UP NIGERIA…you folks ain’t seen nothing yet!!

Patty Bray-Plumley

Congratulations Saheela! May you some day discover many cures for brain disorders of all kinds. God Bless your studies!
DARE Osamo

Saheela,please fly NAIJA flag high when you get to Harvard. Congrats!

Tolu

Yeah Dare and Saheela – Big UP NIGERIA…you folks ain’t seen nothing yet!!

john

WOW God be with you and yours. J
Loveall

Look, “well shall over run,” no one asked for racist and ignorant replies. If you can please go back to grade school, then middle then high school, hopefully this time around, you will learn to be an American that truely values freedom and liberties for all right along with hopefully, they will help you to be educated so your remarks, are spelled correctly at least. Next, find a way to do something positive for others, others, not who you think is best, so you can pick up some humanity. Thank you, that is all.
DkIje

This kid keeps me hopeful for our future. Congratulations Saheela! Don’t overwork or overstress yourself at Harvard this fall.
A proud expectant mother

Saheela, way to go girl, Masha’Allah! I am pregnant with a baby girl and I do surely hope that like you, she will grow up to be an independent, beauttiful and intelligent muslima.
To everyone talking race:
do know that God created one race only: the HUMAN race.
Let’s have faith in the himan race and let’s celebrate everyone like Saheela who makes us so proud.

Peace and Love
Dr. Denise Hinds-Zaami, A Sister

Congratulations Saheela!!! We’ve all been waiting for you. Yes, be passionate about what you study and do in life. And do it well, as I know you can. And don’t get hung up by the expectations of others. If you need to change your focus, that’s O.K. Just love what you do and do it with love.
JOSEPH

great job. a great kid.
orgulloso

Masha’Allah, Saheela! This is wonderful news I wish you nothing but success. I know we will see you discovering a cure for some of our worst brain maladies. I am proud of you and your mother for raising a God fearing, intelligent, beautiful young woman. Enjoy college for all it has to offer! PS: Harvard was the best choice :0
A Sister

Hi Anna,
In Jordan, where I live, the women play sports. I even have a sister-in-law who majored in sports at the university and is a sports instructor. This is common throughout the Middle East. If Saheela is educated enough to speak Arabic and attend Harvard University, I am sure she has read the Qur’an.
A Sister

Actually, Cygon, you are misinformed on this point. I am a Muslim woman living in Jordan and have a 14-year-old daughter who is at the top of her class. The universities in Jordan are comprised of more than 50 percent female students, and I fully expect that my daughter will, God willing, graduate with the best of them, just like her aunts and many other women we know. I just got back from visiting my female doctor today, who was late for our appointment because she was in the middle of performing surgery. She is a brilliant and very competent woman who received all of her education in the Middle East.
veena

I just read this to my 8 year old daughter to inspire her! Way to go, Saheela!
faye hodge

She is truly an inspiration to all young people, a job well done. Mon has done an excellent.

faye hodge

She is truly an inspiration to all young people, a job well done. Mom has done an excellent job raising her daughter. Just continue to reach for the stars.

Gholamhosain Tasbihi

Albeit Harvard is a great university and their trainers there with the parents of this young student know how to behave and educate such a young person in their environments. Educating like her is extremely difficult for both the university and the parents..
A Sister

Masha’Allah, Saheela. I am proud of you. Keep up the good work.
barbara

Truly an inspiration to young people all over the world.
All the best in your studies.
Exequiel Lampa

Saheela,

Contrgatulations!

You are truly a great inspiration to kids all over the world.

I hope to see you go places someday like a Nobel Prize winner, an author of science, math, or medical book.

I wish you continuing success.

Quiel

Norah M.

Beautiful comment. I agree.

Anonymous

Way to go. We need more young people like her. Good luck Saheela.
Maureen

Congrats Saheela! Follow your dreams. Thankfully we have American teens like you who are passionate about helping others with their intellectual gifts.
andy

the world need more young people like shaheela Ibraheem…..beside being bright and educated, she has high moral and very dicipline….a key to success in the world thus, the hereafter.
while rotten kids would bring the world down in future.
Bok

chris look up extremeintellect. There is a whole list of those kids.
chris

That is simply amazing. I was born and raised in the DFW area of texas, Plano to be exact, I have mever heard of a student being allowed to skip grades. Now what we were able to do was our placement test for college, if we excelled in math/reading/writing, our scores per each subject would allow us to start in a higher level course compared to the basic point/prerequisite.