Lathan’s parents, Char and Matthew of Kettering, did not think it was strange as all of their kids are academically inclined. Lathan was also in the gifted program when he attended Kettering schools before transferring to the Dayton Regional STEM School.
“All of our children have always been in the 99th percentile, so when we got the paper saying that Lathan was, I was like great,” Char said. “I posted it on Facebook and my teacher friends said that we needed to look into getting him into Mensa or something, because that is not normal.”
So, Char and Matthew started to look into what it would take to get Lathan into Mensa when they found that there are many other exclusive groups that Lathan could possibly qualify for, one being Intertel. Intertel is for people who score in the 99th percentile.
“It’s funny because we went down this rabbit hole,” Matthew said. “We wondered what other clubs there were. There’s the 999 group [The Triple Nine Society] and there’s a Prometheus one that’s even further, but apparently the test is only administered to adults.”
The family heard back from Mensa and Intertel in February with the news that Lathan met the qualifications for both groups. He received his cards and certificates of membership and was quite surprised again.
“I was like, I am really freaking smart,” Lathan said.
According to Lathan’s parents, while he is academically gifted, he’s still grounded and likes to participate in a lot of things that most kids do like playing football, playing video games and watching movies. “The Predator” is his favorite movie.
“Teachers know he’s the smartest kid in the room, but he doesn’t show it,” Matthew said. “Anyone he meets, he meets them at their level. And I think that’s a really cool thing. He’s not throwing it in people’s faces except for me. I’m routinely known as the dumbest person in the family.”
Lathan was quick to add that he doesn’t think his dad is the “dumbest person in the family,” but maybe just the “least intelligent.” Matthew tries to keep up with Lathan by playing chess with him, and he sometimes even wins. According to Lathan, he doesn’t know how he learned to play chess, he just remembers always knowing how to play.
“He just picks things up,” Char said. “His sister plays piano, so he just sat down and started playing the piano one day. He’s a visual learner, so in our house, we have maps and the periodic table and all the countries’ flags.”
Lathan’s favorite subjects are science and math. He said that he might want to be a pilot or an astronaut. He also loves weather and is a certified weather spotter. During spring break, he and his family plan to tour the National Weather Service Office in Wilmington.
“I ask Mr. Breen [teacher] if I get my work done can I please get on Tornado Archive,” Lathan said. “It’s an app I like because you can learn information about different tornadoes.”
Lathan is also a member of the LEGACY program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. According to the program’s website, “The LEGACY program is three phases designed for students from age 11 to completion of their bachelor’s degree. LEGACY is intended to introduce STEM at a young age, continue growing students’ interest in STEM, and eventually hire these students into a STEM-driven Air Force career.” Lathan will also attend Air Camp this summer and learn to fly planes.
Lathan’s parents have also described him as a bit of daredevil. He loves riding the roller coasters at Kings Island and would like to possibly be a storm chaser.
“He doesn’t have much fear,” Matthew said. “We don’t know if this combination of no fear and intelligence is good. We just want to stay on his good side.”
Finding solutions to problems is also a favorite activity of Lathan’s. He has competed in the Ohio Invention Convention. And he is working on a project for FlexFactor, which is the collaborative technology and entrepreneurship program with Sinclair Community College and funded by the Department of Defense, that allows youth to discover the value of a career in advanced manufacturing. Working with a friend, Lathan is working on an invention that will scramble radar so planes can fly undetected.
So, while being a member of Mensa and Intertel are prestigious honors, Lathan has already been changing the world around him creating inventions, apps and games. He’s definitely going to be a kid to watch in the future because, as he said, he’s “really freaking smart.”
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