Adhara Pérez Sánchez. Photo © 2024 Nuestro Stories.
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She was told she’d never fit in. Now she’s aiming for Mars.
The Latin phrase “ad astra per aspera” means “to the stars through struggle.” It means that building resilience and overcoming challenges are necessary for accomplishing great things. But for Adhara Maite Pérez Sánchez, the phrase is a lot more literal. Her journey from being bullied in elementary school to becoming an internationally recognized STEM prodigy is an inspiring story for those touched by neurodivergence.
Adhara was born and raised in Tláhuac, a borough of Mexico City, in a modest household. Her parents were supportive of her dreams from the very beginning, even when the outside world was not. At age three, after her speech began to regress, Adhara was diagnosed with autism, specifically Asperger’s syndrome, which made social interaction especially challenging. For a toddler in a busy neighborhood school, this diagnosis would shape her early years in painful ways.
The bullying started almost immediately. Her peers didn’t understand her, and neither did many of her teachers. She was forced to switch schools three times. The rejection was so intense that Adhara stopped wanting to play with other children at all. She began to withdraw, and depression set in. Her mother, Nayeli, later shared with Marie Claire México what those teachers said: “They told me that I wish she would finish an assignment. She began to exclude herself and did not want to play with her classmates. She felt strange, different.” For any parent reading this, those words hit close to home. For any young person who has ever felt like the odd one outm Adhara felt it too.
“If you don’t like where you are, imagine where you want to be. I see myself at NASA, so it’s worth a try.” — Adhara Pérez Sánchez
But here’s where the story turns. Seeking help for Adhara’s depression, Nayeli took her daughter to see a therapist. That therapist made a suggestion that would change everything: have Adhara take an IQ test. The results were stunning. Adhara’s IQ measured 162, higher than both Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, who each scored around 160. The same mind that had been dismissed in classrooms and excluded at recess was one of the most powerful minds ever recorded. The therapist also recommended Adhara be enrolled at the Center for Attention to Talent, a school built for exceptionally gifted students. That’s where her academic journey truly took off.
What happened next is almost hard to believe. Adhara finished elementary school at age five. She completed both middle school and high school in just one year after that. Her mother, looking back, recalled spotting signs of Adhara’s brilliance early. Adhara had memorized the entire periodic table and taught herself algebra at a very young age, though at the time Nayeli had chalked it up to boredom. Once in the right environment, all of that bottled-up curiosity exploded into something magnificent.
Then came the spark that lit her greatest passion. During a visit to her doctor’s office, Adhara noticed artwork on the wall, images connected to the life and work of Stephen Hawking. After her doctor explained Hawking’s contributions to science, Adhara became completely captivated, and from that moment on, her love of space exploration was born. It’s a beautiful twist: the very scientist whose IQ she surpassed became her inspiration. She also discovered Mexican engineer Carmen Félix, who was developing a plan to launch a mission to Mars, and Adhara knew right then what she wanted to do with her life.
At age eleven, Adhara attended Mexico’s National Polytechnic Institute, where she earned a degree in Systems Engineering. She went on to complete two bachelor’s degrees — one in systems engineering and one in industrial engineering — from CNCI University, and began pursuing a master’s degree in mathematics at the Technological University of Mexico. All of this while most kids her age were still in middle school.
But Adhara’s path wasn’t without more hardship. When she was seven years old, she suffered a seizure and fell into a coma that lasted three days. Her family, who had already weathered so much, faced one of the most terrifying moments a parent can imagine. Yet Adhara came through it. And rather than letting the experience slow her down, she recovered and returned to her studies with even more determination. Her resilience in the face of both social cruelty and medical crisis is a reminder that strength doesn’t always look the way we expect, sometimes it’s quiet, persistent, and unstoppable.
Today, Adhara works as a STEM ambassador for the Mexican Space Agency, using her platform to encourage other young people, especially girls and young Latinas, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She has served as a panelist at the Mexico Aerospace Fair, sharing her experience and urging women to enter STEM fields. She has graced the cover of Marie Claire México. And she has made it clear, in her own words, exactly where she’s headed: to space, and eventually to Mars.
The University of Arizona offered Adhara a scholarship to study astrophysics, the next step toward her NASA dream. Visa complications have delayed her enrollment, but Adhara has made it clear that obstacles don’t stop her. They never have. She is working toward completing her G-tests, which would connect her to agencies with direct ties to NASA. One step, and then another, and then another: that’s how you get to the stars.
For parents of neurodivergent children, Adhara’s story carries a message that is worth holding onto on the hard days: the environment your child is in matters enormously. Adhara’s trajectory changed the moment she was placed in a setting that recognized and nurtured her gifts, rather than punishing her for being different. The children who don’t fit the mold of a standard classroom are not broken—they may simply need a different mold. Your advocacy for your child, like Nayeli’s for Adhara, can make all the difference.
And for young people who are neurodivergent themselves—whether you’re autistic, have ADHD, dyslexia, or experience the world in any other non-standard way—Adhara’s story can be yours too. Whatever you’ve been told about your limits, whatever classrooms or social circles have made you feel like you don’t belong, take a page from Adhara’s story. The stars don’t care if you fit in. They just want to know if you’re brave enough to reach for them.
Sources
- I AM Autism — “From Bullying to Mars: The Inspiring Journey of Adhara Perez Sanchez”
- Latinitas Magazine — “Meet Child Prodigy Adhara Perez Sanchez: A Trailblazer in STEM with a High IQ & NASA Dreams”
- International Business Times UK — “Autistic Girl, 11, Has IQ Higher Than Einstein and Hawking; Studying for Master’s So She Can Work for NASA”
- Trill Magazine — “Autistic 12-Year-Old Has Higher IQ Than Einstein and Is On Track to Earn Master’s Degree in Engineering”
- Hola! USA — “Child Prodigy Adhara Maite Pérez Sánchez Has a Higher IQ Than Albert Einstein”
- Latinitas Online — “Meet Child Prodigy Adhara Perez Sanchez”
