In the midst of a war zone, the desert of humanity, if you will, a flower has bloomed.
12 year old Paloma Noyola has been hailed as the next wunderkind, and a wonder she is.
The small, quiet girl recently scored 921 in the Mexico national standardized exams, the highest possible.
Her father recently died of lung cancer, and her family relies on the small income generated from recycling metal scraps and other side jobs.
But Noyola is already a celebrity, one that is carrying the hopes of an entire nation on her shoulders.
For now, she is happy. She is also, however, living in the middle of a war zone. Tamaulipas, and in particular Matamoros, her hometown, are in the fiercely contested turf of two drug cartels. Random death from constant shootings is common and all too easy.
But the Mexico government has taken Noyola under its wing. It flies her to competitions and is keeping a close eye on her, much the same way one would when discovering gold in a river.
It isn't just that she is so incredibly smart: it's that she is, veritably, the only good thing that has happened in the city of Matamoros and its violent province in a while.
But Paloma rise's is due in great part to her teacher's innovative methods, which have allowed entire classes to improve their math scores dramatically. An article in Wired recently highlighted this method and Paloma's rise.
What is more incredible, is that the school where Paloma went, and where the innovative professor made his mark, is in a zone that is considered the backwater of the school system, a dilapidated place where teachers dread to go because of the crime and the crumbling infrastructure.
Many of Mexican schools like the one attended by Paloma are like black holes. Children fall in and out of it without explanation. Many have wondered how far Paloma coudl truly get, if she were educated in a good school.
For now, she smiles and keeps her spirits up. During a recent competition, which she did not win, in Monterrey, she said: "I'm very happy. If you want it, you can do it."
Wise words, even for a little girl from Matamoros.
Source : France 24/ 11.01.13
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