Polina Skorik, Russia’s shortest teenage girl, has graduated from school and is looking to further her education, the Kursk Region Ministry of Education told the media on Wednesday.
“Today, the smallest young woman in Russia, Polina Skorik, graduated from school. She completed the 11th grade of the… secondary school in the Glushkovo District of Kursk Region,” the ministry reported.
Skorik, 17, stands at a height of just 80 centimeters and is the only known case in Russia of anauxetic dysplasia – a rare disorder characterized by extreme dwarfism and other skeletal abnormalities. The disease is also sometimes accompanied by mild intellectual disabilities.
However, despite her condition, the school principal told Russian media the teenager did not experience any particular difficulties while learning, and that her classmates always helped her out. Additionally, since it is difficult for Skorik to move between classrooms, the school assigned her class a fixed room to study in, the principal noted.
The Education Ministry says that the student is now planning to enroll in a correspondence course to learn management skills, but is also interested in theater, having played a role in a Russian TV series.
“The young woman is interested in theatrical direction. The hobby arose after participating in episodic filming in the Russian TV series Doctor Richter. Polina’s mother, Natalia Skorik, is considering whether the family should explore the possibility of studying in theater circles,” the ministry said.