A 5-year-old Winter Haven boy is fascinated by human anatomy and knows all the U.S. capitals and many global ones.
He even has a favorite international landmark.
“It definitely has to be the Statue of Unity in Gujarat, India because it’s the biggest statue in the world. That’s why I like it!” said Samridh “Sam” Sarhan.
Sarhan is turning six in a few days and is about to enter a 2nd-grade classroom at his Winter Haven charter school.
Testing showed his IQ is 154, which is well into “gifted” territory.
MENSA , a society for people with IQs of 132 and higher, quickly accepted him.
He received his card this week.
“I never knew my brain taught me this much,” he said.
His parents, Rajesh and Kritika Sarhan, recognized their son was racing through milestones from an early age.
“Before his first birthday, he could speak clearly, some words. When he was like 13-14 months, we did puzzles, colors, shapes,” he said.
At 2 years old, Sam was reading words during outings at Walmart, which confused his parents because he wasn’t even in school yet.
“By the age of 3, he started blowing minds,” said his father, Rajesh.
At 5 years old, he finished first grade, while reading and doing math at a 3rd grade level.
A question that comes up often in the Sarhan household is “Now what do I do?” since the child finishes his work in minutes.
His mother, Kritika, is pursuing a degree. The two compete on who can get the most A’s.
His parents realize they have to work to keep Sarhan engaged and challenged as he gets older. They hope the MENSA membership will help.
But in many ways, Sarhan is like any other kid.
He loves cars, is quick to laugh, looks forward to making new friends at school and loves PE since he can have fun and play.
Sarhan just also happens to know the capital of Colombia and how to recognize San Francisco on a map.
“The Golden Gate Bridge is on the bay, so San Francisco Bay. I can tell the bay is right here and San Francisco right here,” he said, pointing to a map.