“It’s a part of who I am, I suppose. I’ve always grown up quickly,” Vogel said. “I come from an area where I had a life that I had to grow up quickly in order to make it.”

Even if students did treat her differently for her age, Vogel said she wouldn’t know how they would treat her otherwise.

YOUNG GENIUSES

Academically, these young students thrive in their respective activities and classes around campus. Vogel is involved in the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club and American Repertory Theater; Ibraheem is a member of the Harvard Shotokan Karate Club and a daring Math 55 student; Camacho is on the Harvard Quiz Bowl team and a course assistant for this semester’s Math 25a course.

Camacho, 16, teaches weekly sections for the course, which consists of students generally two to three years older than him. Still, Camacho finds the circumstances completely normal.

“I find it funny at times just because I know they’re older than me,” Camacho said. “I’m very comfortable with it. I don’t think most even know how old I am.”

Furthermore, Vogel said she believes that her age may actually serve to benefit her academically.

“I’ve been working at the same level of people who are older than me, which means that I have time to achieve higher levels, whereas other people might be limited,” Vogel said. “I have that space of time to mature my experiences and gather knowledge that I feel other people have less of.”

The young students agree that their age differences have actually widened their ranges of experiences, in comparison to other people of the same age.

Said Susie J. Yi ’13, who was 16 as a freshman, “I think I’ve been exposed to a lot more things than people my age [because] people my age are generally just entering college.”

Staff writer Cynthia W. Shih can be reached at cshih@college.harvard.edu.