Meet the 12-year-old "prodigy" who is heading to NYU after graduating high school at the top of his class
MALVERNE, N.Y. -- It's graduation season, and one senior on Long Island stands out. He's at the top of his class and is off to New York University -- and he's only 12 years old.
Lecturing at age 7, applying for college at age 11
Suborno Isaac Bari is about to graduate from Malverne High School, inspiring his admiring classmates.
"Suborno can teach the class, and they are aware of that ... He's truly a prodigy," Principal Kesha Bascombe said.
"When I was 2 or 3, I already had memorized the periodic table," Suborno said.
He's been lecturing at universities since age 7.
"I've been trying to refine my pedagogy by teaching others overseas," Suborno told CBS New York's Jennifer McLogan.
He applied for college at age 11.
"He was still 11, and he had already written three college essays," said Melissa McGowan, at Malverne High School.
"His peers, three weeks before the AP exam, threw him an 11th birthday party. And he went on to score the highest grade in the AP BC Calculus class," guidance counselor Rebecca Gottesman said.
Suborno says his teachers and classmates make him feel like "an average kid."
When Suborno entered the Malverne district, his teachers alerted the superintendent of his brilliance. By fourth grade, Suborno was taking high school classes in the morning and elementary electives and clubs in the afternoon.
"Absolutely no shortcuts. He has gone through the toughest classes in the school, and he's applied to the top universities in the country," AP Chemistry teacher Patrick Nolan said.
"I do mathematics for fun"
Suborno's 21-year-old brother, Refath, relies on his younger brother for homework help.
"He's a walking Wikipedia," he said.
Suborno says his parents inspire his zeal for life and learning.
"The same way way that other kids play video games or bike for fun, I do mathematics for fun to try to hone my understanding of the world," he said. "My real goal in life is just to help others understand math and science, and especially physics. Because there are not enough resources."
He likes the sound of "Professor Suborno Bari," and he says he hopes to have "daily discourse" with math geniuses at NYU.
