Meet Esther Okade, 17-Year-Old Nigerian-British PhD Holder

Biography

Esther Okade is a Nigerian-British Maths prodigy who has a PhD in Financial Mathematics from the University of Cambridge and an author who has written several books for kids with titles like Yummy Yummy Algebra, and she has a mother who is also a mathematician like herself.

At just six years old, Esther was already taking her maths GCSE, a British high school qualification generally undertaken by 14- to 16-year-olds in the United Kingdom. In the GCSE level examination, she scored a C in math which made her take the A-Level math exams.

A year later, she outdid herself and got the A-grade she wanted. Then in 2014, she scored a B-grade when she wrote the Math A-level exam.

Born in 2006, the Seventeen-year-old Esther Okade lives in Walsall, in the West Midlands with her family has always been interested in Maths.

Thereafter she was invited by the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom to study Mathematics.

All the while, Esther has been homeschooled by her parents and In 2015, at the age of 10, Esther Okade enrolled at Open University (a UK-based distance learning college) for a university maths course and began getting straight A’s as one of the youngest undergraduate students in the country. Three weeks after enrolment, she was already top of the class, receiving a perfect score on her first test, which she said was “easy.”

She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Financial Mathematics, and three years later, she got a PHd in the same field from the same university.

At the time of enrolment, Esther said:

“I want to (finish the course) in two years. I actually wanted to start when I was seven. But my mum was like, “you’re too young, calm down.” So I’m going to do my PhD in financial maths when I’m 13. I want to have my own bank by the time I’m 15 because I like numbers and I like people and banking is a great way to help people.”

While some may applaud her mom, Omonefe “Efe” Okade, who is a mathematician, going to university was entirely Esther’s idea. Esther’s mother, Efe Okade, noticed her daughter’s flair for figures shortly after she began homeschooling her at the age of three.

From childhood, Esther has always been a Maths genius as she had been known to solve difficult problems such as quadratic equations since she was three to the extent that she had intended to enroll in college since she was seven.

Besides becoming one of the youngest college students in history, Esther is also writing a series of math workbooks for kids called Yummy Yummy Algebra. Esther explained the series to CNN:

“It starts at a beginner level — that’s volume one. But then there will be volume two, and volume three, and then volume four. But I’ve only written the first one. As long as you can add or subtract, you’ll be able to do it. I want to show other children they are special.”

Esther told CNN about her dream of opening a bank.

“I want to (finish the course) in two years. Then I’m going to do my PhD in financial maths when I’m 13. I want to have my own bank by the time I’m 15 because I like numbers and I like people and banking is a great way to help people.”

References:

[1] CNN 

[2] Guardian Newspaper