If you try to tabulate the difference in education this kid and a similar thirteen year old in Ghana is getting, you might need all the calculators in the world.
But this is not just about the formal education this kid is receiving, but also the social one which plays a crucial role in the kind of mentality he builds towards problem solving. Up there, you’re likely to end up with an upbringing which encourages, rather than disparages science in the name of religion, as we are so fond of doing down here.
When you have such an upbringing, it builds a mentality where solving problems is second nature, and more often than not, leads to such ingenious solutions.
A thirteen year old Ghanaian American eighth grader, Simon-Peter Frimpong, on Wednesday presented his ingenious invention to the US President Barack Hussein Obama, alongside two colleagues he’s working with.
Maya Max-Villard, 13, and Grayson Fast, 14, all of Horizon Middle School in Aurora, Colorado, worked on the project of a new artificial leg they designed using computer designs and 3-D prototypes.
Their invention was apparently inspired by a US Army Veteran who needed a better functioning prosthetic and their design accomplishes just that; allowing the veteran to hike and even skateboard.
Frimpong’s team was one of about 100 top science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) students invited to the White House Fair and to meet the President.