Fairport eighth-grader Hedwiga Brutskiy is a two-time New York State all around gymnastics champion and Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholar Program 2020 semifinalist. She’s also a member of the Fairport FIRST LEGO Robotics Team and received an “Outstanding” rating for flute in the 2019 NY State Solo Evaluation Festival. And now, Brutskiy has been honored as one of the brightest students in the world by the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY).
Brutiskiy, a student at Johanna Perrin Middle School, received national recognition for her exceptional performance on the SAT in seventh grade. As part of the CTY Talent Search, advanced students in second through eighth grades take above grade-level tests that can reveal their true capacity for learning. Seventh and eighth graders take the SAT or ACT, the same tests used for college admissions.
Brutskiy was one of more than 16,000 students from 66 countries who tested with CTY in the 2019-20 Talent Search year. Less than half of CTY Talent Search testers qualify for CTY High Honors Awards. Honorees also qualified for CTY’s summer and online programs, through which bright students can form a community of engaged learners with other bright students from around the world.
“We are thrilled to celebrate these students for their hard work and academic achievements,” said Amy Lynne Shelton, CTY’s interim executive director and director of research. “While we honor this achievement, we also celebrate their potential for finding success in college and a career, serving their communities, and cultivating a love of learning that will last a lifetime.”
Brutskiy’s mother, Olga Sachkouskaya, said, “We are so grateful to all her past and current teachers who she would not be able to get this award without. We are extremely proud of her and thank you to Fairport School District for all the opportunities they provide to our children!”
Brutskiy said her “dream job” is to become a lawyer one day and attributes the classes she took at John Johns Hopkins Gifted and Talented Program and opportunities provided at Fairport to her successes.
“The world I come from has many high standards expected from me. My school also helps with the openings for opportunities I am associated with. They offer Honors and Compacted courses which help you get ahead of the average learning pace. The Compacted courses also help you graduate half a year earlier than the Regents courses. My English class also does a lot of public speaking and that is a tremendous portion of being a lawyer. My life at home has certainly helped me get the grades I have today. And that consists of studying and extra work outside of school. I certainly would not have been this far without my family’s help, they have done so much to help make my dreams come true.”
CTY is a nonprofit dedicated to identifying and developing the talents of academically advanced pre-college students around the world. The organization serves bright learners and their families through research, advocacy, and counseling, as well as gifted summer, online, international, and family programs.
