Jozef Maynard Borja Erece

Jozef Maynard Borja Erece
Jozef Maynard Borja Erece.jpeg Jozef Maynard Borja Erece.jpeg
Born	Jozef Maynard Borja Erece 1996/10/29 Auckland, New Zealand
🏳️ Nationality	Australian, Filipino, New Zealander
Other names	Jozef
🏫 Education	Master of Corporate Law (candidate), University of Cambridge, UK* Master of Laws with High Distinction, Australian National University* CORe-Business, Harvard University* Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice with High Distinction, 2015, Queensland University of Technology* Bachelor of Laws, University of Southern Queensland
🎓 Alma mater	University of Cambridge
💼 Occupation	Commercial Litigator and Dispute Resolution Solicitor and Consultant in Australia
👔 Employer	Corney and Lind Lawyers
Known for	The youngest ever law graduate in Australian history and the youngest ever solicitor in the Southern Hemisphere
Works	Syzygy, M3
🏡 Home town	Queensland, Australia
👴 👵 Parent(s)	Dr. Maynard Victor Erece, hc, Dr. Josephine Ana Soberano Borja-Erece, MD
Family	Miss Maynah Josephine Lourellen Borja Erece (sister)
🏅 Awards	Congressional Commendation and Congratulations from the Philippine Congress

Jozef Maynard Borja Erece (October 29, 1996 –) is a Filipino-New Zealand-Australian genius, law prodigy, and commercial litigator, arguably the youngest person in the world to be admitted to the legal profession and the youngest law graduate in the history of Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines.He graduated from the University of Southern Queensland with a Bachelor of Laws in 2015 and, in the same year, completed a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Queensland University of Technology. Jozef was admitted to the roll of barristers and solicitors by the Supreme Court of Queensland on September 7, 2015, in a much-publicized admission ceremony held at the Brisbane City Hall. He was eighteen years old at the time.

The modern-day renaissance man

Jozef Maynard Borja Erece is described as a genius, a polymath, a child prodigy, profoundly gifted, and extremely talented. His achievements have been documented globally, and his journey well-documented by the media. The scope of his gifts and talents has been the subject of much scientific, educational, social, and academic research by gifted and talented education experts, psychologists, neurologists, and child development experts.

Jozef's unique case was presented by his father, Dr. Maynard Victor Erece, hc, at the 22nd Biennial World Council for Gifted and Talented Children's Conference in Sydney, Australia, in July 2017, in an open conference peer review to gifted and talented experts from around the world, titled: "The Making of a Modern-Day Renaissance Man—the unique case of Jozef Erece". The presentation discussed the challenges in an originally extreme case of giftedness and talent and the need to go wider, deeper, and faster in his academic, sporting, musical, and leadership path as he socially navigated through mainstream education. The highlight of the presentation mentioned how teachers, schools, the community, government agencies, and his parents needed to collaborate to ensure that his unique gifts are properly developed into different talents. Jozef's many achievements include being a published book author at eight years old, a third-degree martial arts black belt from the Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters at thirteen years old, a concert-level violinist, a chess prodigy, a semi-professional basketball player at fifteen years old, and academic acceleration by four years while maintaining social, emotional, and spiritual balance.

Talent or Genius?

The Psychology Centre in Hamilton, New Zealand, tested Jozef's IQ using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III (WISC III) at seven years old to guide his academic plan. His verbal IQ scale was off the charts, and his full-scale IQ score (FSIQ) was officially recorded at the ceiling of the standard IQ scores. He was also tested using the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test II (WIAT II). The results indicated performance and achievement at a very superior level compared to same-age children. He was also evaluated against same-grade-level children to account for academic acceleration, and the results were found to be similar. Educational psychologists and lead educators concluded that Jozef is profoundly gifted with an IQ beyond the 160 limit.

An academic juggernaut

Jozef mastered shape sorting at six months old by pointing where shapes would fit into the puzzle. He was talking in full sentences at eight months old and was completing number puzzles at two years old. He taught himself to read and write and was phonetically reading his mother's (Dr. Josephine Ana Borja-Erece) medical books at three years old. Before entering kindergarten, his reading level was already tested at twelve years old. He was offered to skip primary school and jump to secondary school at eight and was offered to take Latin courses at Harvard University and mathematics courses at Oxford University at ten years old. As a family, it was decided that it would be best for Jozef to stay socially immersed with his New Zealand cohort and take papers online through Stanford University's Education Program for Gifted Youth. He was an academic and music scholar, graduated class valedictorian, completed all requirements for mainstream secondary education at fourteen years old, and was offered a place at the Waikato University School of Law, New Zealand. This would make him the youngest law entrant and university student in New Zealand's history. Plans were afoot to create a month-long documentary about this historical journey with a major television station. Family circumstances eventually led him to matriculate to the University of Southern Queensland, Australia, where he completed a Bachelor of Laws in three years at eighteen years old.During that same year, he completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Studies (summa cum laude equivalent) from the Queensland University of Technology that conferred him all the rights and privileges to practice as a solicitor in Australia. Since then, he completed a Master of Laws with High Distinction (summa cum laude equivalent) from the Australian National University in ten months, a Credential of Readiness in Business Analytics, Economics for Managers, and Financial Accounting from Harvard University in three months, and most recently the Master of Corporate Law from Cambridge University (magna cum laude equivalent) in nine months. Jozef is an associate editor for the Cambridge Law Review, the longest-established university journal in the United Kingdom.

A highly recruited basketball talent

Standing at 186 cm, Jozef was a highly recruited basketball point guard. He was the team captain for the champion St. Johns College Blue in Hamilton, New Zealand. Under the guidance of the late Melvin Young, Oceania representative to FIBA, he went on to play for the New Zealand regional age-group teams. He was voted in the Mythical Selection team for the New Zealand Junior Secondary Championships held in Rotorua, New Zealand, in 2013. He also captained the Waikato U15 rep teams and played in the U-15 Filipino team for Hamilton. In his final year in New Zealand, he led the St. John's Senior Blue Team to the Regional Pool Championships. Jozef moved to Australia at fifteen years old and represented Ipswich City in the U-18 age-group tournaments and played in the Greater Brisbane League's top men's division against professional athletes. He was invited to join the Nike All Australian team to tour the United States but declined due to study commitments. He trained but did not play due to scheduling constraints with the famed Philippine Junior national team, which placed second in the Asian Junior Basketball championships. A highly recruited athlete, he was invited for "walk-on" trials with attached academic scholarships by various US NCAA Division I universities. Athletic scholarships were offered by coaches and agents from Manila-based universities to play for the UAAP and the Philippine NCAA. A gifted athlete, Jozef holds the current Acceleration Australia record for no-step vertical jump for fifteen-year-old athletes (all sports) that still holds today.

Third-degree black belt in Taekwondo

Jozef started martial arts training at five years old in Tokoroa, New Zealand, under Instructor Kevin Pye. He was awarded his black belt at eight years old by New Zealand Olympic coach, 8th Dan Black belt Grand Master Jin Kuen Oh from the Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Federation in South Korea and was the youngest member of the New Zealand demonstration team for Olympic taekwondo. At fourteen years old, he became the youngest New Zealand taekwondo instructor by teaching adult classes at Sejong Taekwondo based at Waikato University in Hamilton, New Zealand. He competed in numerous full-contact age-group events since he was six years old and placed second in the regional championships in 2002 held at Taneatua, New Zealand. Jozef trained with the New Zealand Olympic taekwondo team under Grand Master Oh and Master Kesi O'Neill until he was awarded a third-degree black belt in July 2010.

Book Author

Jozef published his first fantasy short novel, The Grand Powers, at eight years old. It was sold through a local Cambridge bookstore and was made available for circulation at the New Zealand Public Library system for general circulation. Since then, Jozef has written various pieces including Syzygy and One, Starlight Legacies. The five-star-rated books are available for purchase on Amazon and Kindle.

Concert-level violinist

Jozef started learning the violin at six years old with Mrs. Sue Dobree from Cambridge, New Zealand. He participated in various youth symphony orchestras as a violinist. He entered secondary school as an academic and a music scholar at St. Johns College and played for the combined secondary schools symphony orchestra. A gifted musician, he made his first musical composition at six years old as an addendum to the song "Twinkle, twinkle Little star" for his sister's (Maynah Borja Erece) first birthday, claiming that the song was incomplete. He went through formal music training and testing through Trinity College, London. Today, Jozef continues to play music through church-based ministry.

Checkmate

Jozef was the top player in the St. Johns Chess team that played in the North Island Championships held at St. Paul's College, Hamilton in 2011. The youngest player at board one, he competed and won against nationally ranked senior chess players in the country while playing in his sophomore year.

Commercial litigator and dispute resolution expert

Jozef is a Brisbane-based senior lawyer specializing in commercial litigation and dispute resolution. Like his academic résumé, he continues to add impressive legal experience in advising, representing, instructing clients, and appearing before the Supreme Court of Queensland, the Court of Appeals, and Magistrates courts.

Congressional commendation

The Republic of the Philippines House of Representatives during their sixteenth congress filed House Resolution number 2072, resolving to give Jozef a congressional commendation and congratulations for graduating law at 18 in Australia. This was passed on May 6, 2014, by the House of Representatives, Quezon City, Philippines.During the filing of the resolution, comments were floated that, by virtue of the scope and scale of his gifts and talents, he may arguably be the "most prodigious modern-day Filipino child prodigy."

Make it two

Giftedness and talent run in the Erece family, as Jozef's sister, Maynah Josephine Lourellen Borja Erece, is also gifted and uniquely talented. An academic scholar, writer, martial artist, ballerina, contemporary dance choreographer, stage producer, and twice-exceptional advocate, she presented her case with her mother, Dr. Josephine Ana Borja-Erece, MD, to the 2019 World Conference for Gifted and Talented Children held at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, in an open peer review to global educational experts present.

Media Library

Third Degree Black Belt Taekwondo Grading at 13 years old

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_p29UIuI88

Semi-professional basketball at 15.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RbvV4Oh6Os

The Youngest Lawyer in the Southern Hemisphere—Channel 9 News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sMkoG9HsaU

Violin and Flute Performance at the Brisbane City Hall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2WOs00cl1w

M3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CURuui74irs&t=2s

References

This article "Jozef Maynard Borja Erece" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Jozef Maynard Borja Erece. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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