01/10/2021

Luiza Rubim, medalist at OBMEP, will take a course at NASA.

At 16 years old, student Luiza Rubim, from Vitória (ES), has been having a long and successful career in science olympiads. In addition to winning two gold and one bronze medals for three consecutive years in the Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBMEP), the young woman from Espírito Santo has also participated in olympiads in chemistry, physics, geography, history, and astronomy. Now, the medalist is about to have another rewarding experience. Because of her exemplary academic performance, she has been selected to participate in a course at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. After being postponed due to the pandemic, the trip is scheduled for October 2022 and will be her first international experience.

But the achievement didn't come without challenges. Luiza had already been selected to participate in the course at the Kennedy Space Center for three consecutive years, but her family couldn't afford the costs. This time, a payment company is funding the trip. At the Kennedy Space Center, students are invited to explore the facility, attend lectures, interact with professionals, and participate in hands-on experiences in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

The expectation is that the experience will broaden her knowledge in an area that has increasingly sparked her interest: aerospace engineering. “I’m still undecided about which area of engineering to pursue, so the trip will be an important factor to consider, because I’ll get to know aerospace engineering more closely and understand the profession better,” she says. Her mother, Angela Maria de Souza, who works in the events industry, celebrates and is proud of her daughter’s achievement. “We’ve always been a simple family, and she’s always been very dedicated to her studies. She’s also a wonderful daughter, a good granddaughter; she’s truly a source of pride. I’m very grateful not only for her intelligence and knowledge, but for the person she is.”

OBMEP was a gateway to education, says medalist.

Luiza's story with OBMEP began in 2016, when her math teacher encouraged her to participate in her first competition. At the time, she was studying at the Experimental Municipal Elementary School of the Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES). “Participating in OBMEP made me realize I liked this area, because it was a gateway to education itself. My math teacher believed I had the potential to be a medalist, and I felt challenged. Initially, I saw the competition only as a test, but I soon realized it was much more than that. I am very grateful for the existence of the Olympiad because it was thanks to OBMEP that this entire path was paved,” says Luiza.

From her first encounter with the exam, she realized that the subject could have a different approach than what she already knew in the classroom. “OBMEP approaches mathematics in an innovative and stimulating way. That was one of the things that made me interested in the area. Most of the problems on the exam tend to bring up themes from our daily lives that, in a way, are tangible. This brings us closer to the exam because it encourages us to explore our skills to solve the problems. Instead of just solving an equation, in OBMEP you create the equations you will need to solve yourself,” she explains.

Luiza foi premiada com dois ouros e um bronze por três anos consecutivos na OBMEP

Despite being a newcomer, Luiza wasn't intimidated by her debut in the competition, and she was one of the few students from her school to win a gold medal. “Everyone celebrated with me, and the reactions were very diverse. My teacher was proud of his work because he accompanied me throughout this entire journey.” The achievement also inspired her classmates. “After I won the medal, I saw that it ended up motivating the others, who previously saw the competition only as an extra activity and now see that it opened up opportunities for me,” she shares.

With the gold medal in hand, Luiza began attending the Junior Scientific Initiation Program (PIC Jr.) weekly, where she was able to improve her mathematics studies. Having also won medals in the 2017 and 2018 Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad (OBMEP), she participated in the program for three consecutive years. In 2018, she won a 100% scholarship to attend the private school Centro Educacional Leonardo Da Vinci, where she is currently in her second year of high school. During this period, she also won a medal in the Junior Chemistry Olympiad and three in the Brazilian Astronomy Olympiad (OBA).

Luiza recebe premiação por boas notas e alto desempenho acadêmico no Instituto Ponte, do qual faz parte

Luiza reports that, at PIC, she discovered another side of mathematics, in addition to making friends with students who shared her fascination with the subject. “It’s a very comfortable environment for me because there I find people who have similar values to mine and who not only like mathematics but are also looking to challenge themselves. I felt very welcomed and was able to see different perspectives, because they were students from other schools and each one had their own way of solving the problems,” she says.

The student fondly remembers the two national OBMEP awards she participated in during 2017 and 2018, in Rio de Janeiro. “It was very enriching to be in contact with other students of varying levels,” she comments, recalling the memorable moments. “When you receive a medal, it’s more than just the medal; it’s a reward for the extra hours you studied, for the time you spent thinking about a new formula…,” she says.