OCALA, FL (352today) – From a young age, Kristina Seymour showed signs of extraordinary potential.
The third-grade student at Hammett L. Bowen, Jr. Elementary School was forming compelling narratives before she was two, said her mother, Vasiliki Seymour.
Kristina’s academic achievements caught the attention of educators Noelle Agusti, her third-grade teacher, and Jessica Larroque, the school’s Exceptional Student Education (ESE) department chair and gifted educator. Recognizing her exceptional abilities, Agusti nominated the nine-year-old for the National Youth Leadership Forum: Pathways to STEM, an Envision by the WorldStrides program. Kristina was accepted and invited to attend the University of Miami in June.
Envision has set up a link to help fund her tuition.
Promise and potential
Kristina’s deep understanding of complex subjects and ability to grasp intricate details left a lasting impression on her teachers.
“This path started for her in second grade,” said Agusti. “She had already been set into motion to be tested for gifted. When she got to me, she still wasn’t fully tested. I had a conversation with Ms. Larroque, and we work hand-in-hand a lot together. I said, ‘We need to push this along because her vocabulary is extraordinary.'”
Her mother also recognized her early intelligence.
“When she was a baby, she was very big into storytelling which I always thought was fascinating. I’ve had many people comment that they thought this kid was going to be really intelligent from the time she was very small,” said Vasiliki.
Kristina’s curiosity has always been evident.
“She has been – since the time she was little – creating her own projects, mixing things together, making massive messes to create different slimes or potions,” said Vasiliki. “In her Barbie house, she would cut out intricate little things to make her own Barbie furniture. She’s been a very busy little girl.”
School days
Kristina’s discipline, consistency, and accountability have earned admiration from faculty and peers.
“She doesn’t need to be redirected at any time in my classroom,” said Agusti. “She is literally a leader in my room with all the kids. She has her peers’ respect, and all the kids in the class know that she was nominated for that because of the criteria. She fit for the criteria, and they’re rooting her and they’re very excited for her.”
Her stepfather, Dan Caputo, marvels at her intelligence.
“It’s tough having a nine-year-old that’s smarter than you,” said Caputo with a laugh. “It has its days. It’s always a surprise about how creative she is.”
Kristina thrives in an academic environment.
“I love being in school. I feel like education is my favorite part of everyday,” said Kristina. “When I learn, I love to learn about things that are a little more challenging. I really like a challenge. I really don’t like it when it’s too easy for me.”
Family matters
Support from family, teachers, and friends has played a crucial role in Kristina’s academic journey, but her self-motivation has allowed her to excel.
“I’ll never forget, too, from the time she was four – whenever we first started making popsicles together; she’d go back and put rubber bands or toys in the popsicles because she wanted to see how they would freeze,” said Vasiliki. “She’s always doing something and it’s always on her own. We like to read together a lot. We’re really into Nancy Drew. That’s really fun trying to see her figure [the mysteries] out.”
Testing the boundaries
Kristina’s quest for knowledge made her stand out among her peers, and Agusti quickly recognized her exceptional intelligence.
“When I’m doing a lot of the teaching, I’m asking different sets of questions. I try to hit her with those harder questions so she’s able to be successful at the same time as the other children,” said Agusti. “Once we did get her into the actual gifted program, she’s really truly blossomed with Ms. Larroque. She goes to Ms. Larroque once a week. And Ms. Larroque does sometimes send a lot of projects home. I’m also sending science projects home. The project that Kristina is putting together with her family is actually on another level of academics.”
Agusti is thrilled about Kristina’s nomination and participation in the Pathway program. “She scored a level five on her FAST PM2, which is extraordinary.”
Kristina has expressed a strong interest in forensic science.
“She says she wants to figure out why things happen to people, how they happen to people, to work on a team, and solve those mysteries. She will have the opportunity to do that at the University of Miami – which is icing on the cake for me because that’s where I’m originally from,” said Agusti, who once worked there and is a huge Hurricanes fan.
Kristina’s parents have played a significant role in keeping her humble.
“She knows, and she doesn’t try to be a perfectionist. She’ll look at people and be like, ‘It’s okay – we make mistakes,'” said Agusti. “She even corrects herself at times. They think that we expect perfection but that’s not what we want – that’s not what this is about. It’s through making errors, that we need to create those errors in order to find solutions.”
You can contribute to Kristina’s trip to the University of Miami at Envision’s link.