By Jennifer Kiilerich
Gabriella Noreen loved math from a very young age, her passion deepening when she discovered A.P. statistics as a teen. But she tended to be quiet in school. "I wish somebody had told me about summer programs for gifted students," she said. "I would have loved it. Maybe I would have even talked in class."
Today, Noreen doesn't worry about finding a place to voice her love affair with numbers; she imparts it widely as an instructor in the Vanderbilt Summer Academy at Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth (PTY) and in her pursuit of a Ph.D. in quantitative methods at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development.
This fall marks 25 years of PTY serving high-achieving learners. What started as a small summer residential program for gifted middle and high schoolers is now a comprehensive K-12 destination for academically advanced kids, educators and families from all over the world, both on campus and online, and with year-round opportunities and summer residential experiences.
Sophie Lombard, a junior at Maclay School in Florida, drove 10 hours to be part of Noreen's Exploratory and Graphical Data Analysis course in the summer of 2024. She shares her instructor's gusto for statistics: "People give you a hard time for loving math, but it shouldn't be that way," she said.
Lombard loves that statistics "is an exploration of what data can tell me about how the world is functioning," she explained. "It's such a good blend between math and humanities." Enthusiasm flows out of her, and that excitement was shared by PTY peers, making for a dynamic learning environment.
For her final PTY project, Lombard translated Taylor Swift fandom into data analysis, crunching numbers to learn how the Kansas City Chiefs performed when Swift attended games. "It was really fun. We did find that there was a correlation between her being there and them winning," she concluded with a smile.
Later, Lombard used her PTY skills for a school essay examining the impact of digital image manipulation on girls. "It was really helpful to have all that background knowledge from the course and to realize-I know what that graph means," she said. She couldn't wait to share the success story with her former PTY instructor.
"I think in some way, I see myself in the students."
"I think in some way, I see myself in the students," said Noreen of the teens she has taught for the past two summers at PTY. "It's so great to see that they have an environment where they can be themselves and pursue their interests."
THE WHY OF PTY
In 1998, as the new dean of Peabody College, Camilla Benbow was researching gifted and talented students through the longitudinal Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth, or SMPY. In 2000, she channeled Peabody's education expertise into Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth.
"Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth supports high-ability learners with challenging, research-informed and inquiry-based educational opportunities," said Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development. "The program fosters the development of their academic, social and emotional growth, which are all important ingredients in their long-term success."
Gifted kids, roughly 6 percent of American students, tend not to receive support that aligns with their needs. The result is that they can get bored or disruptive in class or undershoot their potential.
The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth, which is now in its 54th year, has found that earlier and more academic acceleration for these children boosts educational, vocational and creative achievements decades later. PTY nurtures that need for rigor with innovative learning in Vanderbilt's classrooms, labs and virtually.
Summer 2025 course offerings made it almost impossible to be bored, with options like forensic science for kindergarteners, epidemiology for third graders and a middle school program on utopia and dystopia. High schoolers could explore areas like pharmacology, brain imaging, virology and poetry. The immersive high school courses are led by graduate students, professors and post-doctoral fellows, the majority of whom are affiliated with Vanderbilt. Elementary courses are taught by stellar area teachers and content experts, many with direct ties to Peabody College.
"A feature of our program," said PTY executive director Sarah DeLisle Fecht, "is that we foster growth not only in our attendees, but also in our instructors and support staff, who are often higher-education students themselves. They gain skills related to their field of research, hands-on experience working with young learners, and access to professional development opportunities."
Noreen is one such professional student, and she particularly understands the gifted population due to her doctoral work on SMPY alongside Benbow and study co-director David Lubinski, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Psychology.
"Students in the program have this need for intellectual challenge," said Noreen. "Some kids have come to me who weren't able to accelerate because their school had cut funding for the Math Olympiad and other advanced programs. PTY offers the whole package: rigorous academics as well as social-emotional support and a motivated peer group."
LIFELONG CONNECTIONS AND LEARNING
Students form lasting bonds with one another, and with their teachers. More than a year after her course wrapped up, Lombard still exchanges texts with PTY classmates. "They are from all over the country," she said. "Everyone leads such different lives and it's really fun to get to know everyone."
When she returned to Florida, Lombard urged her friends to try the program, too. "One of them actually ended up doing a neuroscience PTY program this past summer, and she was texting me the whole time she was there. She was like, I get why you love this now."
PTY has also been a meaningful outlet for Noreen's Ph.D. studies. "It's an absolutely wonderful program and such a neat way to blend all of my interests. I'm able to support students in my classroom based on the research that I've studied. It also reinforces my work and the importance of continued research and advocacy for students' learning needs," she said. "It's full circle in so many ways."
That circle will no doubt continue for everyone who teaches and learns with PTY. "We look forward to another 25 years," said director Fecht.
LEARN MORE ABOUT PTY
Since its beginning, PTY has grown exponentially, with enrollment exceeding 2,000 students in 2025. Below is 2025, by the numbers:
Visit PTY's website to discover additional opportunities for educators and parents, get details about program offerings, or learn how to apply. Programs include:
Virtual:
- Mentor Immersion: A Virtual Research Experience at PTY, grades 10-12
- Rising Expert: Mini Mentor Immersion, grades 7-9
On-Campus Academic Year:
- Saturday Academy at Vanderbilt for the Young (SAVY), grades K-6
- Career Connections at SAVY, grades 7-8
On-Campus Summer:
- Day Program: Summer Academy at Vanderbilt for the Young (SAVY), grades 1-6
- Day Program: Career Connections at SAVY, grades 7-8
- Residential Program: Vanderbilt Summer Academy (VSA), grades 7-12
