He may be as smart as Einstein, but Harvard has no record of his admission as a student.
An 11-year-old Mexican child prodigy named Luis Roberto Ramírez Álvarez made headlines all across México and the world after he publicly announced he was heading to the prestigious Ivy League Institution this fall.
According to reports by Fox News Latino, the prodigy, who claims to have an IQ up there with Albert Einstein's, said he'd be studying quantum physics at one of the world's most respected colleges. But Harvard officials recently told Fox News Latino that they have "no record" of Álvarez, despite numerous rumors in Mexican and other Spanish-language media outlets.
"We do not discuss individual students, but I can tell you that Harvard College has no record of this applicant", said Colin Manning, the senior communications officer at Harvard University.
Ramírez Álvarez, who lives in Zamora, Michoacan, has said he is fluent English, which he learned at age 5, and is now teaching himself French and Mandarin Chinese. "My dream is to create a company and sell my inventions", the pint-sized prodigy said on a video aired by the Michoacan Radio and Television System.
The young boy was identified as highly gifted just two years ago, at the age of 9, when his parents noticed his priorities and tastes were unlike anything that might be expected of a kid his age. "It makes us proud but it's also a big responsibility", his father said.
Ramírez Álvarez completed his high school curriculum within three months, moving on to the Intelirobot Institute of San Luis Potosi to study robotics and mechatronics. He is currently a student of the Open System College of Bachelors at the Zamora campus.
The child-prodigy reportedly gives lectures at youth conferences in various topics. Earlier this week, he spoke in the Mexican state of Morelia where he gave a speech entitled "Ethics and values in technology".