16/03/2021

Medalist from rural area of Tocantins encourages colleagues in OBMEP.

It is in an agricultural village in the municipality of Miracema do Tocantins, in Tocantins, that 14-year-old Luis Fernando Pereira da Silva cultivates the habit of reading science books. He, his father, Cristiano Alves Pereira, and his grandfather, Cristino Pereira da Costa, live in one of the seventy-four houses in the region. “I enjoy studying. I use my free time to research subjects I want to know and understand better. I like to go beyond the school subjects,” says the student. His favorite subjects are physics and, of course, mathematics. In the 2019 edition of the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBMEP) , he became the first medalist from the public school system in the rural area of the state.

The bronze medal came the second time the student participated in the competition. “In 2018, I didn’t pass to the next phase of the OBMEP. But I persisted and it worked,” he celebrates. To take the test, Luis Fernando boarded a bus from his school, the Boanerges Moreira de Paula Municipal School, to the center of Miracema, a 32 km trip.

“At the time, I couldn’t accompany him because I was working,” says the student’s father. “But I asked him to take a picture to show me that he was on his way to the exam. It’s an image I cherish very much.” In a family of farmers, the student is breaking new ground in the field of education, which only multiplies Cristiano’s happiness. “We come from a poor family. From an early age, we saw that he is intelligent and studious. This fills me with pride.”

To prepare for the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools), Luis Fernando received a little help from his math teacher, Lucas De Lucca, and relied on a valuable collection of school resources. “Many old books were stored away, and I asked to take that material home. One that I remember well is volume 3 of the publication 'Physics, Science and Technology,' because of the captions and images that helped me understand many physics calculations and interactions. That volume was a turning point in my understanding of the world around me.”

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the school routine is no longer the same. Once every two weeks, students attend classes in person to hand in assignments and ask questions. And the teachers update the list of homework.

Foto: Luis Fernando foi recebido na Prefeitura de Miracema do Tocantins (Divulgação Prefeitura de Miracema do Tocantins)

According to Paulo Cleber Mendonça, the regional coordinator of the Olympiad in Tocantins, being part of the student's medal win is an extremely positive contribution that could lead Luis Fernando to his dream of studying computer science at university.

“My motivation for coordinating OBMEP is seeing the work being done, the students' understanding, and contributing to their education. We want to bring the competition to where the students are, encouraging more and more students from rural areas to participate as well,” he points out.

Happy with the result achieved, Luis Fernando encourages other students to participate. "For those who are unsure whether or not to participate in the OBMEP, or don't think they're good enough to take the test, I can say that if you have a chance, try it, participate because it might be worth it," recommends the medalist.