Mozez LawaMozez Lawa dreams of being a leading physicist like his idols Albert Einstein and Richard Phillips Feynman, but for this bright 20-year-old from a small remote village, getting there won't be easy.

In many ways it is not an impossible dream: Mozez, who lives in a kampung on the outskirts of Kupang regency in East Nusa Tenggara, was the only high school student in the province to have been identified as having a very superior IQ.

The hard part is that Mozez, born eighth of nine children, is one of the many for whom going to university is not possible for a simple and not uncommon reason - he and his family just don't have the money.

His father, Christofel Lawa, 67, is retired, receiving only a pension earned after years in a low-ranking position in the Kupang regency agriculture department. His mother, 53-year-old Agustina Lawa, is a housewife.

Now, in his daily life, his genius is being neglected.

After finishing school, Mozez had little choice but to take a job working in the river, where he dug out sand and stones for sale. His sole motivation is to collect enough money so that he can go to university later.

After all, working as a laborer isn't his life ambition.

"I want to become a physicist or mining expert. I have the ability," Mozez says. "But what can I do when my parents don't have enough money?"

His ability was evident during his performance at school. Throughout his entire school career - at Inpres (Presidential Instruction) Lili elementary school, State 1 Junior High School Central Rote and State 1 Senior High School East Kupang - he was always the top student.

Every semester, his marks for physics and mathematics averaged more than 95 percent - almost perfect. He has also gone down in history as the only high school student to have represented his province twice at the National Physics Olympics in Surabaya, in 2006, and Makassar, in 2007.

"I wasn't the champion in those two Olympics because my preparations were below what was necessary," he says.

"But I was competition for the champions, because the *time* gaps *between him and the champions* were close to seconds from the times that had been established by the committee that set the Olympic questions."

His ability has not gone unnoticed. His talent for physics has attracted the attention of the Indonesian Physics Development Institution, which has its headquarters in Jakarta. For almost 18 months, the institution, led by Professor Yohanes Surya, has been testing Mozez's abilities.

"When I took part in training, our abilities were tested using various theoretical and practical tests," Mozes says. "I felt like I was finding my real identity from that training."

His genius is recognized within his family circle as well, but where it came from or why is something of a mystery. Even his diet, he points out, is hardly conducive to a great mental performance, as it's rare that he gets all the necessary nutrients each day for his complete health.

"Sometimes I only eat rice with salt," he says. "I don't know why my IQ is so high. Maybe it's something I've inherited, or maybe it's a gift from God."

One of the things that he laments is the lack of attention given by regional governments to high-achieving and gifted students.

"I'm still hoping I might get some assistance, such as aid or a donation from an institution, government or anyone who wants to help me continue my education," says Mozez.

If should luck smile on him, he has already picked out his preferred place of study - Bandung Institute of Technology - and his preferred faculties - the Schools of Mathematics and Science or the School of Mining and Oil. And, perhaps, therein lies the problem.

"These two schools are quite expensive. And it's impossible for my parents to get the money," he says.

His complaints about the lack of money isn't mere attention seeking. After all, his father held a low-ranking position and has nine other family members to support on his meager pension.

"The monthly salary of a retired person is less than Rp 500,000 *US$48*," Mozez points out.

His family's financial straits, and their direct impact on Mozez's future, have often left the young man in despair and stress.

"All I can do is pray to God and hope for a miracle," he says.

To distract himself if only for a little while, Mozez chooses to play sport or herd his parents' cattle.

"If I get stressed, I choose to play volleyball or badminton to make sure my body is fresh again," he says.

And other than that, he dreams of the day he can become a scientist, drawing on a love of the subject evident since he was in elementary school.

"I studied history only to add to my knowledge," he says. "But I learned physics and mathematics to make a change."

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