Meet a three-year-old genius

Emily Stroud | WBIR-TV, Knoxville, Tenn.

Show Caption Hide Caption Three year old earns Mensa membership Three-year-old Selena Janik is now a card-carrying member of Mensa, an organization for super smart people who have scored in the top 2% on an intelligence test.

ANDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Moments after their daughter's birth, Cristy and Eric Janik knew she was special. And now, at three-years-old, Selena is officially a member of an elite genius society.

"She would point to a letter and she would tell me what the weather said and then she would go to the next one and tell me what that letter said and the next one. Then she could put them all together and read the whole word," Cristy said.

After showing early counting and reading skills, the Janiks had Selena's IQ tested through their local Tennessee school system. She had to maneuver through tests with puzzles and blocks.

The result: Selena socred in the top 1%.

"It about put me on the ground when I got the phone call," Eric said. "She got accepted into Mensa. I didn't understand what that meant at the time."

Mensa, an organization for people with extremely high IQs, only accepts people who score in the top 2% of an intelligence test. Famous Mensa members include Isaac Asimov and actress Geena Davis.

She may be super smart but she is also super shy. When a camera crew isn't around she likes to read and build stuff and ask a lot of questions.

"Everything comes naturally to her. She picks up a book she'll know it. She picks up my wife's nursing book and asks her about the vascular system and stuff," Eric said.

So what's in the future for this intelligent toddler?

"She told me the other day she said Mommy what are the people who like molecules? And I said you mean a scientist. She said yes I want to be a scientist when I grow up," Cristy said.

Eric said, "I just want her to be happy whatever she chooses."

And she'll also have to continue to shine on IQ tests.

"She has to keep on retesting to keep her Mensa status but I don't think that will be a problem," Eric said.

Mensa offers a free half hour test you can take online to gauge how smart you are.