Do you remember Sufiah Yusof? She made big headlines especially in the local media a few years back when she became one of the youngest students to be accepted into Oxford University at the age of 13. Though she grew up in UK but she’s half-Malaysian as her mother is from Johor (that’s why the local media was praising non-stop back then). Her father is Pakistani.
Anyway, ever since her proclaimed genius was highlighted, it was bad episodes all around her. First she ran away from home 3 years after the Oxford admission, citing living under her father as “living hell”. Her father was then jailed for “mortgage swindle” (not sure what that means) and now, her father is in jail again this time for “touching” two 15-year olds he was tutoring at home. I guess that’s the part of “living hell” Sufiah mentioned about.
Meanwhile for Sufiah, she failed to finish her course because of her running away episode and marriage to a young lawyer, whom she divorced a year later. So now she’s a prostitute with the name Shilpa Lee.
What does that tells you? For me I’m just glad I’m a normal guy, with a balanced parenting, not too bright in maths but still managed to survive school. I will also remember this news so as not to pressure my kids into achieving highly over-ambitious target.
Source : Math prodigy now a £130 hooker claim