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Photograph by Ann Johansson
Catherine Beni smiles after graduating summa cum laude in
math two years after entering UCLA at age 12 as a transfer
student. In the fall, she'll be at Caltech. |
Super-achiever in math dons cap and gown at 14
BY Anne burke
UCLA Today Staff
Catherine Beni blended into the sea of 2,600 smiling faces at the
2005 UCLA College commencement. But underneath the black gown, satin
sash and shiny, gold braid was a Bruin who’s still not old
enough to drive or date.
At 14, Catherine is one of UCLA’s youngest alumni ever. She
graduated summa cum laude in math at commencement June 17 as younger
sister Juliet and parents Gerardo Beni and Susan Hackwood, both
professors at UC Riverside, cheered from bleacher seats. At the
math department graduation two days later, Catherine received the
prestigious Sherwood Prize for outstanding achievement, which carries
a $500 award.
“My parents said I can spend it on whatever I want, so I’m
getting video games,” said Catherine, a devotee of the Resident
Evil series of Nintendo games.
Catherine transferred to UCLA as a 12-year-old junior two years
ago from Riverside Community College. Though she shot up 3 inches
in height and got braces during her Bruin days, Catherine says that
only a few of her classmates were aware of her tender age.
“Some of them would ask, ‘How old are you?’ At
first they were kind of shocked, but they didn’t really treat
me any differently,” said Catherine, who is 5 feet, 7 inches
and has strawberry blond hair. The math whiz begins doctoral studies
at Caltech this fall. Eventually, she plans to follow her parents
into academia.
Home base for the Beni-Hackwood family is Riverside, but during
the past two years, Catherine shared an apartment close to campus
with her dad, who earned his master’s and doctorate from UCLA
in the ’70s. This summer, the quartet relocates to Livermore
and a new apartment that will be within bike-riding distance of
Catherine’s internship at Sandia National Laboratories.
“I’m going to work on numerical optimization,”
Catherine explained. Beaming, Hackwood added, “It has to do
with homeland security.”
But first, some fun. Catherine’s graduation presents include
a party at Universal Studios with friends from Riverside, brunch
in Beverly Hills with one of her favorite professors, Andrea Bertozzi,
and a mom-and-daughter vacation in Costa Rica.
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