Meet the 14-year-old prodigy from Valley Stream heading to New York University

In many ways, Cody Sung is like any other 14-year-old boy. He enjoys playing Roblox, an online adventure game, with his friends. He admits to goofing off around the house when he knows he should be doing his schoolwork. Since childhood, however, Sung has displayed a prodigious intellect that has set him apart from his peers.

After his kindergarten teacher and counselor saw hints of Sung’s brilliance, later confirmed by the results of an IQ test, he leapfrogged his classmates, doing coursework three grade levels above his normal age.

At 9, Sung entered Valley Stream North High School as an eighth-grade student. Now, at 14, he’s one of the youngest students to enroll at New York University, on track to finish his undergraduate studies before even finishing puberty.

Observers note that prodigies are often the focus of society’s long-held fascination with extraordinary early skills and achievement. It is often touted that by some stroke of genetic luck or inborn talent, young bright minds like Sung’s are set up for a life of success. But even the natural brilliance of child geniuses and gifted teens doesn’t exempt them from the pressures and anxieties of growing up or fitting in.

Recognizing their son was more than just his intellect, his parents weren’t sold at first on the prospect of putting him on the academic fast track if it meant losing out on time with kids his age.

“School officials wanted me to skip those grades as an academic challenge, but the thing is my parents didn’t want me to skip those grades mainly because I wouldn’t be in contact with peers of the same age, and would hurt me socially and emotionally,” said Sung.

Then, a compromise was struck.

Sung would get the best of both worlds: attending classes with the older students while spending non-academic hours like lunch time and gym glass around peers his age. His mom, Anna Jan, says the support system he received from students and staff at every step of his journey has been nothing short of stellar.

“The older kids of course may socialize at a different level than Cody, but they have been so great with him,” said Jan. “They accepted him right away and supported him. The teachers, the students, even the security guards tried to make sure he was in class on time and find his way around the halls.”

Sung noted that rote tasks like transporting his books to and from classes were orders of magnitude more difficult in high school than it had been at elementary school.

Lacking the upper body strength of his peers, 9-year-old Sung often struggled to pry open his locker. Hauling his books up and down the stairs was a singularly cumbersome feat, which, on several botched attempts, would end in a messy spill.

But there was always someone, Jan said, that would thoughtfully come to his aid. Things eventually got easier as time went on. 

Outside of high school, Sung didn’t have trouble finding friends his age to enjoy spending time with and be himself around, according to Jan, but he faced distinct challenges they couldn’t fully relate to.

“Because he had a more demanding course load than kids his age, he couldn’t play as much as the other kids, “she said. “But we make sure he has time to play and be with his friends as much as possible.”

Any doubts that he’d be unable to handle the exceptional rigors of his life were dispelled.

“He is amazing,” said Jan. “I know he could handle this because he’s surprised me every year with all the course subjects and activities he can handle, and he keeps asking for more.”

These days, Sung has grown more mature, and more sure of himself, and part of that maturity seems to include admitting to being an occasional procrastinator and fumbling with discipline to achieve a so-called “work-life balance.” Something he says his older peers are better at doing than him.

And yet by making the most of every opportunity to feed his insatiable curiosity, freely pursue his interests and hobbies — tennis, walking, and museum excursions — and gaining the respect and affection of his older peers, Sung has left an indelible mark on North High School with his top-tier brains, and yes, his generous heart.

“(Cody Sung) is a very special kid with some extra special smarts,” wrote AP English Literature teacher Christy Mansfield who is the teacher advisor for the North Star student newspaper of which Sung was an editor. “…I’ve so appreciated his enthusiasm, wit, and effort. I will miss him in my classroom, and I will miss him in my daily path.”

Have an questions on this article? Send an email to jlasso@liherald.com.