Maria Montessori and 10 famous graduates from her schools

Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the premiere of the film "Lawless" in Los Angeles. Combs attended a Montessori school early in life. (Danny Moloshok/Reuters/File)

2. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

Unlike Google's founders, Sean Combs (also known as Puffy Daddy, P. Diddy, and now just Diddy) rarely talks about his Montessori background. Perhaps it doesn't fit the rapper image.

This singer, record producer, and actor was born in Harlem. But after the murder of his father, Mr. Combs and his family moved to Mount Vernon, N.Y., just north of the Bronx. There, he attended the Mount Vernon Montessori School.

"The Montessori educational approach might be the surest route to joining the creative elite, which are so overrepresented by the school’s alumni that one might suspect a Montessori Mafia," writes The Wall Street Journal, which names Combs as part of this talented gang. "Is there something going on here? Is there something about the Montessori approach that nurtures creativity and inventiveness that we can all learn from?"