The 13-year-old Spelling Bee Champion – Rodrigo Medinilla

“Everyone has talent. What’s rare is the courage to follow it to the dark places where it leads.” – Erica Jong.

Some people are just born with extraordinary skills, and they amaze the whole world. One such boy is Rodrigo Medinilla. He is a 13-year-old boy who is simply an all-rounder. His quest for knowledge knows no bounds. The extraordinary thing about Rodrigo is that he is not a prodigy of mathematics, or linguistics, or biology; he is a prodigy in everything.

Exceptional Qualities of The Young Boy | Rodrigo Medinilla

When he was just two years old, Rodrigo was perfectly articulating ABCs in both English and Spanish. After knowing that he was far advanced than his peers, Rodrigo’s mother, Aida, sought help from a county psychologist in Florida. It was the time when Rodrigo entered Kindergarten. It was the guidance given by the counselor and various educators that led Aida to Mensa. She said that “Mensa is an organization that has opened doors for Rodrigo that maybe I didn’t know how to do.” Aida was able to have Rodrigo tested by a psychologist, and at the age of 6, he received his Mensa membership card.

Now he is an eighth-grader and has enrolled in college-level courses at Pinecrest Preparatory Middle-High. According to Rodrigo’s website, Mathematics has always been a passion for him. He can quickly solve problems in his head without paper or calculator. Rodrigo balances his school work with extracurricular activities such as competing on a robotics team, math club, taekwondo, tennis lessons, etc. He is learning new languages and speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese fluently.

How Rodrigo Medinilla Earned a Spot to Participate at National Level Competition?

Rodrigo’s list of accomplishments is awe-inspiring and reveals the complexities of an incredible kid whose interests are limitless. The child prodigy appeared on the television show Genius Junior in 2017. There he was considered as the “Super Brain” of his team for the human calculator portion of the challenge. Rodrigo participated in VEX World Competition in April 2017, where his team placed 22nd out of 268th ranking.

In 2019, he won his school Spelling Bee competition, and it opened the opportunity to participate in the Miami Herald Spelling Bee for the same year, and won that too. His victory earned him a spot to participate at the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee, where he was among the top 100 most recognized spellers of the entire nation. During this period, BeeTV featured him as one of the most talented kids in the competition.

Global Child Prodigy Awardee

The Global Child Prodigy is the first and only organization in the world that recognizes talents from various countries and backgrounds. The list of GCP awards includes children having extreme competency in their field of interest, such as painting, modeling, writing, entrepreneurship, martial art, music, social work, etc. 

Rodrigo Medinilla received the Global Child Prodigy award in January 2020 for his incredible mathematics and other skills. His name was among the top 100 prodigies of the year.

Rodrigo Medinilla’s Future Goals

Rodrigo says, “I want to major in medicine. I don’t want many specializations. I want to have the ability to do everything, whether it’s neurosurgery or heart surgery. My goal is to be a surgeon when I grow up. I had a stint where I thought about majoring in medicine and minoring in computer science, so if medicine didn’t work, I could always become a programmer. But honestly, I’m dedicated to medicine.”

Rodrigo’s thirst for knowledge goes above and beyond. The young boy and his family are always looking for nourishment and learning. He wants more challenges to continue his growth. The child is a wonderful human being beyond the exceptional.

If you know someone close to you who deserves to be on the top 100 Child Prodigies list, make sure to click here.

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