ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Between playing piano, practicing her French, and reading, Zion Phillips, or Zaza as her family calls her, is excelling in her education at just six years old.
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“My favorite thing is art, Zion said. “My favorite book is Never Pop a Shark.”
Zion was recently placed into the Talented and Gifted Program at Hillcrest Elementary School. A few days later, she was accepted into MENSA. The program is the oldest and largest IQ society in the world.
“I was taken aback when I saw her scores,” Anuli Phillips, Zion’s mom, said. “It just confirmed what I have seen as she develops.”
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An Orange County Public Schools psychologist said her composite IQ is in the top 2%, and her non-verbal scores are in the top 1%.
The district’s superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez is proud of Zion’s accomplishment and shared this statement:
“We congratulate Zion on her incredible achievement of being accepted into Mensa at such a young age. Her intelligence and hard work are inspiring. We hope she will continue to challenge herself to learn and grow. This is one part of her promising and successful future.”
Her parents are taking the next steps in her future by starting a YouTube channel where the goal is to create a story time for kids by kids.
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“I just wanted to share with them, so their kids could also watch another kid read and be encouraged by that,” Anuli said. “If she can do it, if Zion can do it, you can do it too. Sit down, it’s fun!”
In each video, Zion reads a book out loud. She said she likes to make the characters come alive and hopes this encourages others her age to pick up a book and read.
“I feel like a superhero,” Zion said.
Click here to watch Zion’s YouTube channel.
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