Kairan Quazi
Kairan is a ‘boy genius’ who recently received his high school diploma and has been attending college full time since Fall, 2019 at only ten years of age. When Kairan was in the third grade, doctors had tested his IQ to be above the 99.9th percentile.
Agami News recently had a chance to connect with Kairan and learn more about him. We are honored to be able to share our interaction with Kairan with all of our readers and wish him the very best of luck on all his current and future endeavors.
Azmeena: What made you initially interested in the world of science and innovation?
Kairan: What makes science so intriguing to me is its applicability to make transformational change in improving quality of life.
Azmeena: What is the cause you are most passionate about?
Kairan: It is my dream to be an innovator in artificial intelligence where I will be working on projects that combine technology and social justice. I believe that technology, if applied correctly, can be a force for systemic change in our socioeconomic institutions like criminal justice and education. But bad data, especially data that carries implicit and explicit biases, has Agami News March 2020 | p. 12 Talks with Kairan Quazi, Bay Area, California been perpetuating unjust outcomes in every aspect of civil society. I am interested in working on artificial intelligence technology that will instead be a force for bringing equity to communities. I believe that technology can be used to achieve social justice reforms. I will be speaking on this topic at a global AI conference in Dublin, Ireland in April.
Azmeena: What are the first three words which come to your head when you are asked to describe yourself?
Kairan: Inquisitive; playful; extroverted.
Azmeena: Who inspires you the most? Why?
Kairan: I am inspired by a lot of people. But mostly, I am inspired by other "kids" who are demanding change. For example: David Hogg and the high school students from Parkland, Florida. After their school shooting, they built Never Again - a national youth movement for gun control. And of course, 16-year old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg who launched a global youth movement. I am inspired by kids like David and Greta because I can see myself in them. First, they give me courage to use my voice for impact and social justice. And second, they made a CHOICE to LEAD rather than WAIT for adults to come rescue us.
Azmeena: I read that you collect Pokémon cards. What is your favorite Pokémon?
Kairan: My favorite Pokémon is Ash- Greninja because he is battle-ready.
Azmeena: What do you believe is your biggest challenge in achieving your goals?
Kairan: My biggest challenge in achieving my educational and professional goals, in the short-term, is my age. I face a lack of credibility from many authority figures at the beginning of every new opportunity. As a result, I have to work harder to prove my abilities.
Azmeena: Do you have a motto?
Kairan: "Gratitude is an Attitude."
Azmeena: Do you have any advice for the Agami kids in Bangladesh also tackling school?
Kairan: I would advise Agami students to take advantage of their incredible access to information. Focus on learning and acquiring knowledge instead of worrying about grades and tests. Our generation has an opportunity to transform and democratize the structure of education.
Azmeena Sayeed
Fairfax, Virginia
