One month, seventh grade math completed. Another, Algebra 1 done. In seven months, Ruhan Lee zoomed from second grade math to AP Calculus BC. Now, despite being in a math course typically filled with college students twice his age, the 10-year-old has no problem keeping up in Multivariable Calculus.
“It first happened during COVID, when Ruhan was in second grade. We noticed that Ruhan was playing during class time,” said Shin Lee, Ruhan’s father. “When I asked him what was going on, he said his teacher officially let him off from having to listen to the course because he was shouting out all the answers. It was clear to the teacher that he knew everything.”
To keep Ruhan occupied, his father introduced him to Khan Academy to study the subsequent math levels. Ruhan finished fifth and sixth grade math in less than two months, motivated by the promise of a cell phone. He continued all the way through AP Calculus BC, stopping only when he completed all of the available courses on Khan Academy.
“This was the point that we realized that he had some real talent in math,” Shin said.
A student at Longfellow Middle School, Ruhan decided to continue his math education at McLean. His young age drew the attention of many students, but as they got to know him, they were more impressed by his passion for math than his age.
“It’s cool to see a lot of people who are really excited about having Ruhan in our class. People who normally would be silently doing work get excited about solving puzzles with Ruhan,” said senior Andrew Egorin, a student in Ruhan’s Multivariable Calculus class. “A lot of people just go up and say, ‘Ruhan, can you solve this problem?’ Then Ruhan goes onto his computer and creates some kind of simulation. He’s very excited about solving these problems.”
Far from being intimidated by the new environment, Ruhan is an eager class participant.
“He takes so much joy in his learning. By the time we do a lesson in class, he’s already watched videos on it for fun,” Egorin said. “When he’s thinking of something, he’ll blurt it out, and Ms. Quarry will smile and say, ‘Exactly.’ He’s engaging, and he draws all of us in with his enthusiasm.”
Even with the significant age difference, Ruhan quickly adjusted and made friends.
“The ninth graders are immature, just like my friends in middle school,” Ruhan said. “In Multivariable Calculus, the seniors are not immature at all. But one thing I know is that they’re kind.”
Ruhan’s classmates have grown to see him as more than just a prodigy.
“We all first thought of him as a genius. Really, he’s just an 18-year-old brain in the body of a 10-year-old,” Egorin said. “He gets problems wrong, just like all of us, but he grasps all the material very quickly.”
While one might expect that acceleration in courses would require major sacrifices, that hasn’t been the case with Ruhan.
“Since I study a lot now, I can be a bit more relaxed when I grow up. My friends will be just studying very hard at college, while I could do at least a little bit less work,” Ruhan said.
In addition to Multivariable Calculus, Ruhan is enrolled in AP Biology and AP Human Geography and intends to take more AP courses next year.
“Because he’s taken and passed seven AP exams, Ruhan has already fulfilled all of his graduation requirements for math in high school and middle school,” Shin said.
Though Ruhan is unsure of his immediate plans for high school or college, he plans to continue pursuing his STEM interests in the future.
“I found chemistry interesting,” Ruhan said. “Now I’m going for AP Chemistry…When [I grow up], I want to be a mechanical engineer or electrical engineer.”