Medeiros's story with OBMEP: from school to teaching.

Originally from Várzea (PB), a city with just under three thousand inhabitants in the Sertão region of Paraíba, Francimário Souto Medeiros has collected numerous OBMEP awards both as a student and as a teacher. Medeiros' Olympic spirit emerged during his first contact with the Olympiad in 2005, when he was encouraged to compete in the competition. What the Paraíba native didn't imagine was that, about 17 years later, he would be celebrating his students' victory as a mathematics teacher in the state school system.

“My story with OBMEP hasn’t ended; it’s a new beginning as a teacher, and I feel I can pass on the knowledge I have. I am very grateful to the Olympiad for everything it has given me, and my greatest wish is that more and more students have the opportunity to learn mathematics as I did. My competitive days are back!” the teacher comments, in good humor.

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It was with this same enthusiasm that Medeiros achieved his first recognition in the Olympiad. In 2005, the then 8th-grade student received an honorable mention that fueled his efforts to win an OBMEP medal. “I had an aptitude for numbers since I was a child, but I had never been encouraged in that area. When I received the honorable mention, I decided I would dedicate myself even more to the next OBMEP. That's when I won the silver medal in 2006,” he says.

Como aluno, Medeiros recebeu uma medalha de ouro na OBMEP em 2010

With the medal in hand, the young man was invited to participate in the Junior Scientific Initiation Program (PIC) . The effort to dedicate himself to his studies was immense. “At the time, the PIC was only in person, and I lived in a somewhat distant place. Every Saturday, I had to wake up at four in the morning to catch the transport that took me to Campina Grande, where the program meetings were held. It was at that moment that I understood what I wanted to study and decided to pursue a career in mathematics!”, he recalls.

The son of a farmer and a seamstress, the professor affirms that the scholarship offered by the PIC was essential to finance his studies. “At that time, the household income was a minimum wage, so the scholarship helped a lot. It was thanks to it that I got my first computer, for example.” In addition to the financial aid, the PIC broadened the horizons of the then-medalist, opening up the possibility of studying outside of Várzea.

After a series of achievements in the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools), including a gold medal, a bronze medal, and two honorable mentions, Medeiros was accepted into the Federal University of Campina Grande (UFCG) in 2010. The move was funded with a scholarship from the Scientific Initiation and Master's Program (PICME) . “My parents had no way of supporting me in another city, and it was the PICME scholarship that helped me. When I entered the university, I also had the help of my professor José Vieira, who lived near UFCG and offered me the opportunity to stay at his house until I was able to stand on my own two feet,” he says.

At 28 years old, the professor celebrates not only achieving his long-awaited undergraduate degree, but also a master's degree from UFCG in 2017. After completing his postgraduate studies, he taught as a temporary professor at the university for two years, when he took a public exam to become a basic education teacher. Having passed the exam, Medeiros saw the opportunity to encourage young people who, like him, could have their lives impacted by the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools). "I really wanted to work with the Olympiad because I have a lot of gratitude for everything I've achieved," he commented. Currently, the Paraíba native teaches at the Professor Bráulio Maia Júnior Integral Citizen School in Campina Grande, preparing 1st to 3rd year high school classes for the Olympiad.

In the 16th edition, 11 of his students were awarded: one received a silver medal and the other 10 received honorable mentions. “When the results came out, everyone was very excited because they realized they are capable. The awards gave the students a lot of encouragement and are a consequence of all the work we have been developing! But, regardless of medals and mentions, the most important thing is being able to present a different and playful approach to mathematics to these students,” he comments.