{"id":22838,"date":"2026-09-24T13:27:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T17:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=22838"},"modified":"2026-09-24T13:27:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T17:27:36","slug":"13-year-old-with-genius-level-iq-heads-to-grad-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2026\/09\/13-year-old-with-genius-level-iq-heads-to-grad-school.html","title":{"rendered":"13-Year-Old With Genius-Level IQ Heads to Grad School After Surviving Cancer, Severe Bullying"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
CBS New York \/ YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Most 13-year-olds are navigating middle school. Joe Petraro-Hyppolite is preparing for graduate school.<\/p>\n

The Long Island teenager has been accepted into a master\u2019s program at New York University after earning a 1590 on the SAT at age 10 and graduating high school at 11. His IQ is 168.<\/p>\n

But those remarkable numbers tell only part of Joe\u2019s story. His journey has also included leukemia, Tourette\u2019s syndrome, years of bullying and a mental health crisis that nearly cost him his life.<\/p>\n

Joe struggled in school beginning in kindergarten, when difficulties communicating and verbal and physical tics eventually led to him being placed in special education. Then, in third grade, he was diagnosed with lymphocytic leukemia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a bad year,\u201d his mother, Anne Petraro-Hyppolite, told PEOPLE<\/em><\/a>. \u201cHe had a shaved head because of the treatment. He would purposely fail his tests and not spell the words right. Then he would come home and be reading about coding things. It didn\u2019t add up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evaluations ultimately revealed that Joe had Tourette\u2019s syndrome, dyslexia and severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. Testing also revealed his extraordinary IQ.<\/p>\n

After moving to a school that allowed him to work at his own pace, Joe flourished academically, eventually graduating from high school at 11 and enrolling in Louisiana State University\u2019s online program.<\/p>\n

But academic success didn\u2019t erase the challenges he faced.<\/p>\n

Joe said he endured severe bullying over his Tourette\u2019s, cancer and intelligence. At one of his lowest points four years ago, the bullying contributed to a suicide attempt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a lot of low points,\u201d Joe recalled.<\/p>\n

Today, he looks back on that period much differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so glad I\u2019m still here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Now, Joe is preparing to finish his undergraduate degree in May before beginning NYU\u2019s global sport master\u2019s program next fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I mean, who wouldn\u2019t be?\u201d he said when asked if he was nervous about what comes next. \u201cBut then again, I am also excited, because new doors are opening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe is using those open doors to help others, too. He founded Joe\u2019s Be Kind Campaign, which includes an Adopt a Grandparent program, inclusive sports opportunities and an initiative that has helped build more than 127 wells in Africa. He also advocates for greater awareness and understanding of Tourette\u2019s syndrome.<\/p>\n

His mother says that behind all the accomplishments is simply a young man who loves learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just loves to learn,\u201d she said. \u201cHe is like a sponge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joe also wants people to understand that his intelligence doesn\u2019t mean everything comes easily.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like I was shot out the womb knowing everything I know,\u201d he said. \u201cI have to learn it once or twice. Then I\u2019ll know.\u201d<\/p>\n

His story is ultimately about far more than an IQ score or earning degrees at an unusually young age. It\u2019s about persevering through circumstances that once seemed overwhelming and then using his gifts and experiences to help others.<\/p>\n

Joe hopes other young people facing their own struggles remember that their darkest moment doesn\u2019t have to be the end of their story.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways remember that there\u2019s someone out there, no matter how far away they are or how old they are, that cares about them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most 13-year-olds are navigating middle school. Joe Petraro-Hyppolite is preparing for graduate school. The Long Island teenager has been accepted into a master\u2019s program at New York University after earning a 1590 on the SAT at age 10 and graduating high school at 11. His IQ is 168. But those remarkable numbers tell only part…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":22844,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages"],"yoast_head":"\n13-Year-Old With Genius-Level IQ Heads to Grad School After Surviving Cancer, Severe Bullying<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"At just 13, Joe Petraro-Hyppolite has a 168 IQ, is finishing his degree at LSU and will soon head to NYU for grad school.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2026\/09\/13-year-old-with-genius-level-iq-heads-to-grad-school.html\" \/>\n<meta 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