Sufiah Yusof
Encyclopedia
Sufiah Yusof is a British
mathematics
prodigy
originally from Malaysia. She is now working as a social worker.
to study mathematics
at the age of 13.
In 2001, she ran away from her student flat in Oxford, after taking her final examination paper for the academic year. She was found working as a waitress in a Bournemouth
Internet cafe two weeks later, but refused to return home, alleging that her parents made life difficult for her at home. She stayed with a foster family instead.
She married a trainee lawyer from Oxford. She was working at the time as an administrative assistant for a construction company. Her marriage ended after 13 months.
Sufiah's mother is Malaysian while her father, Farouk, is a Pakistan
i. She is a citizen of the United Kingdom.
In March 2008, it was discovered that after many ups and downs in her life she finally reached a point where she became a prostitute. At that point she felt her life completely destroyed and it took her many years to recover. One of her friends described her change of fortunes as "desperately heartbreaking", adding that "her gift [for mathematics] really has been a curse".
In December 2008 a Singaporean Islamic organisation reported that Sufiah had regretted her former activities. She is now working as a social worker.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
originally from Malaysia. She is now working as a social worker.
Biography
Sufiah Yusof first made headlines in 1997 when she gained entry into St Hilda's College, OxfordSt Hilda's College, Oxford
St Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England.The college was founded in 1893 as a hall for women, and remained an all-women's college until 2006....
to study mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
at the age of 13.
In 2001, she ran away from her student flat in Oxford, after taking her final examination paper for the academic year. She was found working as a waitress in a Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
Internet cafe two weeks later, but refused to return home, alleging that her parents made life difficult for her at home. She stayed with a foster family instead.
She married a trainee lawyer from Oxford. She was working at the time as an administrative assistant for a construction company. Her marriage ended after 13 months.
Sufiah's mother is Malaysian while her father, Farouk, is a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i. She is a citizen of the United Kingdom.
In March 2008, it was discovered that after many ups and downs in her life she finally reached a point where she became a prostitute. At that point she felt her life completely destroyed and it took her many years to recover. One of her friends described her change of fortunes as "desperately heartbreaking", adding that "her gift [for mathematics] really has been a curse".
In December 2008 a Singaporean Islamic organisation reported that Sufiah had regretted her former activities. She is now working as a social worker.