Archive · 12 Aug 2025
Homeschooled Teen Solves Math Mystery, Heads to Graduate School
Imagine a really smart 17-year-old named Hannah who loves math.
She learned a lot at home and went to special classes.
Hannah solved a super tough math problem that smart people had been working on for 40 years!
Because she was so advanced, she skipped regular college and went straight to graduate school.
She's starting her PhD at the University of Maryland soon, which is like getting the highest degree in math.
It's like she's already a math expert, even without finishing college!
17-year-old Hannah Cairo solved the Mizohata-Takeuchi conjecture, a 40-year-old math problem.
Cairo was homeschooled in the Bahamas, using Khan Academy for math education.
She bypassed traditional college, taking graduate-level courses at Berkeley.
Cairo applied to graduate programs, getting accepted to University of Maryland.
She will start her doctoral program at UMD in Fall 2025.
- Who
- Hannah Cairo, a 17-year-old homeschooled student.
- What
- Hannah Cairo solved the Mizohata-Takeuchi conjecture, a complex math problem.
- When
- Cairo completed the proof after starting a graduate course in the fall of 2024 and will begin graduate school at UMD in Fall 2025.
- Where
- Cairo was homeschooled in the Bahamas, attended math circles in Chicago, and took graduate courses at Berkeley.
- Why
- Cairo's advanced math skills led her to solve the conjecture and pursue graduate studies.
- Age
- 17 years old
- Hometown
- Nassau, Bahamas
- Education
- Homeschooled
- Problem Solved
- Mizohata-Takeuchi conjecture
- Future School
- University of Maryland (Fall 2025)
- Online platform
- Khan Academy