From Vernon Hills to Mensa Before Kindergarten
Washingtoner/10302130

CHICAGO - Washingtoner -- Snack time, story time, and induction into Mensa: One of these activities usually isn't on a 3-year-old's schedule.

For Zorien Royce of Vernon Hills, it was. Zorien, who just turned 4 this month, earned an IQ score of 156 out of 160 on the WPPSI-IV Wechsler test, placing him in the "profoundly gifted" range. His psychologist described the result as "awestruck" — noting how rare it is for a child to come so close to maxing out the scale at his age.

By age 2, Zorien was spelling words like hippopotamus and alligator and could count forward and backward to 100. Today, he reads independently at a second- to third-grade level and is tackling three-digit multiplication and fractions.

A Head Start in Learning

Zorien is also excelling in Kumon, an international after-school program with local learning centers that focus on math and reading mastery. He has already reached Platinum level in both subjects — working more than three years above grade level — and was one of only two students from his center selected for the 2025 Kumon Global Virtual Student Conference.

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More Than Numbers

Despite his accelerated abilities, Zorien's parents emphasize balance. "We want to make sure Zorien enjoys being a child, plays, laughs, and grows emotionally alongside his intellectual journey," said his father, Md Naqib Alam Ansari.

Outside the classroom, Zorien is an energetic soccer player, swimmer, and Lego builder who calls the library his "favorite place in the world." He is fluent in English and Bengali, with early exposure to Spanish, Hindi, and French. Asked what he wants to be when he grows up, he doesn't hesitate: "A NASA scientist."

A Local Story of Potential

The son of two professionals who immigrated from Kolkata, India, Zorien is being raised in Vernon Hills with strong support from his family, educators, and mentors. "Our goal isn't to push him but to give him the right environment," said his mother, Monirupa Ananya. "His journey, we hope, inspires other children and families to embrace curiosity and learning with joy."

About American Mensa

American Mensa is an organization open to anyone who scores in the top 2 percent on an accepted standardized intelligence test. Mensa has about 45,000 U.S. members and more than 140,000 members globally. Visit americanmensa.org.