A remarkable young mind is challenging conventional perceptions of brilliance. Adhara Pérez Sánchez, a 9-year-old girl from Mexico diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome (which is on the autism spectrum), has achieved an extraordinary academic milestone, with an IQ reported to be 162—higher than the estimated scores of acclaimed geniuses Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking (estimated at 160).
Pérez Sánchez has already graduated from high school and is currently pursuing two university degrees simultaneously: one in Industrial Engineering in Mathematics and one in Systems Engineering at a university in Mexico.
Adhara’s journey has been one of great resilience. Her mother, Nallely Sánchez, recounted that Adhara was bullied and taunted by peers in her early schooling, which led to a period of deep depression and a reluctance to attend class.
The turning point came when a therapist recognized her unusual intellectual ability, leading to her high IQ confirmation. This discovery allowed her to transition into an environment suited for gifted students, where she flourished. She completed elementary school by age five, middle school by age six, and high school by age eight.
Beyond her current engineering studies, Pérez Sánchez harbors an ambitious dream: to become an astronaut for NASA and contribute to space exploration, particularly the colonization of Mars. She has already been invited to study astronomy at the University of Arizona and has collaborated with the Mexican Space Agency.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Adhara uses her platform to inspire children with autism and giftedness, having even written a book roughly titled “Do Not Give Up” about her life experiences. Her groundbreaking achievements serve as a powerful testament to the limitless potential found within neurodiversity.
