This weekend Natasha Goss will graduate summa cum laude from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a minor in mathematics. This fall she will enroll in the Ph.D. program in atmospheric chemistry at Harvard University. Gross is 16 years old.
Goss began studies at the Univerity of Colorado at the age of 13. In addition to her stellar academic record, she participated in two research projects, was involved with the university’s Environmental Center, and studied abroad in Australia. She lived at home for her first three years at college and spent the last year in a residence hall on campus.
“I found that in high school a lot of people found my age to be something unusual, worthy of comment,” Goss said. “At CU, it was just about whether you were an intellectual peer. I was fortunate to be in good courses, both honors courses and starting in advanced science and math courses. I found that everyone there was just interested in learning, so I was able to talk about those topics and socialize.”