Most parents would be the first to describe their kids as being extra-talented and special, but Bamm Gabriana and Rochelle Derilo-Gabriana are sure about it when it comes to their daughter, Alrescha Mikaela.
Six- year-old Alrescha or Reese is a whiz kid, one of only two children in the Philippines who were recently inducted into Mensa, an elite organization whose only criterion for membership is a superior intelligence quotient or IQ.
While Reese is the first Filipino child to join Mensa-Philippines, the youngest member in the country to date is 4-year-old Robert Samuel “Sam” Pelingon. Both Reese and Sam belong to the top 2 percent of the world’s brightest minds.
At the onset, Reese seems like any other child her age: she loves to play doctor to stuffed animals and beat her own score in computer games. But unlike most students, she actually enjoys studying, and has divided her time to set aside a chunk of it for serious study.
Her favorite subject? Math—arguably the subject most detested by other students.
Highly proficient in numbers, Reese was only 4 when she started to excel in simple linear algebra, bravely pursuing “x” when kids her own age could barely put 2 and 2 together.
And don’t even get her started on division and multiplication: she’d only consult the multiplication table to confirm her answers. Otherwise, the right answers seem to pop out of nowhere.
“She does her own search (for answers) in Google,” her mother Rochelle volunteered. “The thing is, she asks a lot of questions and we do our best to answer them. Then she’d have more questions,” she added.
As for Sam, the boy was able to recognize and distinguish the shapes and colors of various objects when he was 2. To the delight of his accountant mother, Sam could count up to the hundreds early on.
Before reaching 3, the boy also showed proficiency in spatial reasoning as he could disassemble and then re-assemble his toys, such as the 50-piece Thomas the Tank train set.
Now 4, Sam browses and reads the Almanac and the Atlas, identifying the flags of some 200 countries, including the names of the peoples, currencies, languages and continents to which they belong. Lately, he can identify parts of the human anatomy as well.
It’s no surprise, however, that Reese and Sam are now members of the Mensa exclusive club. You could say it’s all in the genes: their parents are Mensans themselves.
Reese’s father, Bamm, is a mathematician and astronomy professor, while mother Rochelle is a chemical engineer. Sam’s dad Joel is a businessman, and his mom Maryleth an accountant.
“When Reese was a year old, I remember discussing in our group mail the possibility of her joining us when she got old enough,” recalled Bamm.
The validation came when she scored high in the entrance exam at Headway School for Giftedness. While kids her age aimed only for acceptance to kindergarten, Reese’s marks were equivalent to what a 9-and-a-half year old student would know.
“The principal, Amos Manlangit, suggested that she take the full exam,” her father said proudly.
After Reese took the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), the results were sent to Mensa International for verification. The psychometrician confirmed what the Gabriana couple knew all along—Reese is indeed a genius.
Since the Mensa standard examination is meant for children 14 years old and older, those who have potential are asked to take other equivalent exams such as the internationally accepted WPPSI or the Stanford-Binet test.
“The Mensa test is not the only test to gauge one’s IQ, because by definition a Mensan is someone within the top two percent of the world’s population when it comes to IQ. But the Mensa test is just one tool,” Bamm Gabriana explained.
Reese received a score of 99.7th percentile, putting her in the top 0.3 percent of society (top 3 per thousand) in WPPSI, which is way above the requirements for Mensa.
“Her IQ is even higher than mine and Roch’s,” her father said.
Reese’s membership starting in February 2013 paved the way for Mensa-Philippines to admit other qualified young members. Sam joined later that year.
Mensa has around 120,000 members in some 100 countries across five continents so far. According to Mensa International, about 3,400 members are under 18, while the youngest member is 2 years old.
The organization does not issue the list of Mensa members to the press or outside Mensa, nor disclose individual IQ scores to anyone. Only the members themselves have the right to share this information, which may be verified by the country headquarters.
Mensa is known mainly as a circle of achievers, but its members have very diverse backgrounds including author Isaac Asimov, inventor Buckminster Fuller, Olympian Adrian Moorhouse, singer Shakira, actress Geena Davis, boxer and scholar Henry Milligan, among many others.
While the gift of being a genius is celebrated around the world, having a high IQ at a formative stage can also lead to too much pressure to excel.
It’s a concern that the typical school may not be able to address, and the Gabrianas know this first hand.
When Rochelle was assigned in Brunei, she had to enroll Reese in an international school where, to her surprise, her daughter was described as “delinquent” by her teacher.
“I thought it might be the language barrier or difference in culture, but as it turned out, Reese was doodling or was inattentive during class because she was bored,” she explained.
This presented a dilemma to the Gabrianas. How can they keep up with their daughter’s lessons in school if she found them beneath her?
The couple also felt concerned about how Reese’s gift could affect her. Would she grow up normal? Would she have to give up her gift to blend in?
“The challenge now is to maintain it,” Bamm said. “We know that a gifted kid may ‘lose it’ if not given the proper environment. I know a lot of gifted children who did not do well, or who became underachievers. I hope that with the help of Mensa, Headway and the Philippine Center for Gifted Education, we can help Reese achieve her potential.”
The Gabriana couple has exposed their daughter to different interests, especially Science. Reese helps them set up their telescope in their roofdeck, said the two who are astronomy experts. There on the roofdeck, the night sky serves as Reese’s night school. Her own room meanwhile has become a showcase for her artwork.
“We’re hoping she would be inclined to science, but we see her interest in the arts as well. We expose her to astronomy, math and geography. (But) we know (her interests) will change, eventually,” the father said.
As for Sam, this early his interests seem to extend to music. He plays piano and the melodica and loves singing to the karaoke with his dad. He also swims and immerses himself in board games.
Like many gifted children, Sam is hyperactive but likes to multi-task in a systematic and organized manner, according to his profile in Mensa-Philippines. He divides his schedule to make time for studying, playing, resting and watching his favorite TV shows.
To his family’s delight, he likes echoing lessons he’s learned in school and would even give his audience test questions after.
In a way, Mensa serves as a “support group” for gifted individuals.
“There are certain circumstances and experiences that we can address, share and learn from,” said Mensa-Philippines president Art Ilano.
The organization regularly holds assemblies and maintains learning exchanges among its members. Mensans also get discounts in establishments, events and conferences, and access to prestigious scholarships.
Mensa, which is Latin for table, definitely lives up to its literal meaning: a round-table and venue for discussions, a means of bringing people together in communal sharing.
This early, Reese and Sam have earned a place in that table, and already, people are anticipating a banquet of possibilities. •
