"One in a Million" by Leslei Pilapil

In college, you meet a lot of people of different kinds; of different races, with different personalities, in different religions, etc. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. You encounter several interesting people along the road, with their own life stories you won’t ever expect. But here’s what really shocked me, a 13-year old freshman in the Ateneo de Manila University.

Yes, you read it right and this is a college freshman. Most of us have been a 13-year old freshman too, a high school freshman though. This amusing student is Shane Antoinette Arante, more often addressed as Toni by her friends. She’s studying BS Psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University. And just so you know, BS Psychology is an honors degree program, only the top 15% of the ACET takers are qualified.

Imagine, 13 years old at college? When I was 13, all my batch mates cared about were colorful sneakers and… Justin Bieber. So, how did this happen? Toni was accelerated from grade 3 to first year high school in 2009. That’s a 4 or 5 level jump there. She entered high school at 9 years old, well I was just learning division when I was 9…

Still can’t believe this is happening? I didn’t too, at first. But gifted children, guys, they exist. When I asked Toni her IQ, she said she can’t disclose it but it is superior or above gifted grade of IQ. According to Psych4schools.com, “To be classified as gifted, most education departments require children to have an IQ score at or above 130 on a standardized test administered by a psychologist. However, a child can be classified as being mildly gifted with an IQ score of 115–129.”

So how do we become gifted like her? Unfortunately, they are born the lucky ones. From global.britannica.com, “Gifted child, any child who is naturally endowed with a high degree of general mental ability or extraordinary ability in a specific sphere of activity or knowledge”.

Another thing is, Toni is an only child. She must have absorbed all the intelligence of her parents. “They (her parents) are smart. I think the reason why I am gifted has something to do with genetics”, she says.

When she was in high school, with that age, she didn’t even need a tutor, or help from her parents. She just studied by herself. Contrary to some or most of us, she likes math. “I like Math because I enjoy solving mathematical problems. I cannot say that I excel but I do pretty well in that subject”, she humbly says.

But aside from being a smarthead, this girl is very talented. She is into theatre acting, is good in dancing, and is amazing in singing. She even does covers of popular songs. During summer, besides travelling, she attends workshops to develop these talents. Playing the piano is another plus to her talents.

Just like ordinary students, she does love reading books. She loves the works of Mitch Albom the most.

She’s not just closed to her academics, she still has the time for organizations she joined. She joined Psyche (her home org), Management of Applied Chemistry Association, and Ateneo Junior Marketing Association.

So, how can she afford to do all these and study all that? Toni says, “I just manage my time wisely and I'm mindful of my priorities.”

This girl has already set her goal. The reason that she chose BS Psychology, she states, “I know that it (BS Psych) will be able to provide me the knowledge that I need before I enter the field of medicine”. She plans to go to med school, preferably in Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, when she finishes college.

Being a child prodigy, she knows how to be grateful for what she has become. “I feel blessed and glad that I am gifted. I wouldn't be here right now without my parents. They helped me decide if I should be accelerated or not, and other things.”

I guess being a gifted child entails a lot of pressure and responsibility, but Toni is an optimist. “As long as we are doing the right thing, I'm pretty sure that everything will be okay.”

Shane Antoinette Arante is just one of the most interesting people I met and will meet in this journey. College, hard as it is, is pretty exciting with all the surprises that may come. Even though there are lots of challenges, people with me make it fun with their own interesting stories to tell.