05/05/2022

OBMEP medalist was accepted into UnB in 1st place.

“Is it true? You swear? You came in first place? We did it!”, asked teacher Maria Aparecida Ramos das Neves, emotional about her daughter Maria Lívia das Neves de Oliveira's achievement of being accepted in 1st place at the University of Brasília (UnB). The video of the mother receiving the news of the acceptance went viral on social media and was reported by media outlets such as Metrópoles, Uol, and G1. A multi-medalist at the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools), Maria Lívia is used to celebrating victories. At 17, she is realizing her dream of getting into her long-awaited environmental engineering program at one of the best universities in the country.

The news was received with enthusiasm by the family, especially by the parents, who were unable to attend higher education and saw their two children accepted into public universities. Maria Aparecida says that, since the time of academic competitions, she has been thrilled with her daughter's triumph. "She didn't win gold in the OBMEP, but for us, it was gold! I've always been very proud of her victories," she said.

For the mother, having her daughter accepted into one of the best universities in Brazil wasn't a big surprise. "Since she's always been very dedicated to her studies, even as a child, we knew she would get in. But it's still a surprise that she came in first place! She's always worked hard for her studies, so it really moves me to see her achieving her goals," she says.

Maria Lívia's academic journey was filled with moments like this, and there was no shortage of celebration for each of the challenges overcome. The student's history with OBMEP was consolidated in July 2016, when she received her first silver medal in the competition, at age 11. On that occasion, at a regional awards ceremony in Brasília (DF), the student told a city newspaper that the achievement was very gratifying, because her dream was to study engineering and, for that, she still needed to learn a lot of mathematics.

“I always had good grades in all subjects, including math, but my interest in the exact sciences grew over the years as I challenged myself more. When I won a medal at the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) for the first time, I already knew I wanted to pursue a career in this area, and that's why I answered that I dreamed of engineering, but it's still a very broad field. The great thing about environmental engineering is that it combines various areas of knowledge, so I hope I enjoy it and don't get disappointed with my degree,” says the student.

Trajectory in OBMEP

Her debut in the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) took place in 2015, when she was in the 6th grade at the Centro de Ensino Fundamental Polivalente (Polyvalent Elementary School Center) in the southern region of Brasília. “At first, I saw the OBMEP as an obligation. I always had an aptitude for math, but I didn't realize I was really good at it. When the results of the second phase came out, my eyes were opened, because I was the highest-ranked student in the entire school. It was a surprise; I realized for the first time what I was capable of,” she recalled.

Maria Lívia recebeu sua primeira medalha de prata em 2016

The medalist recounts that the achievement was well-received and duly celebrated by her teachers and classmates. "The school only had two or three students who had won a bronze medal, so the silver medal was a surprising result for everyone," she commented. The feat was repeated several more times, when the Brasília native won other silver medals during the 7th and 9th grades of elementary school.

The recognition from the school was important for her to grasp the magnitude of her achievement, she says. “I remember the school principal even calling me a 'silver student,' and at award ceremonies I even received a medal from the governor, for example. I didn't know how to measure what was happening, but today I think it's really cool that I was recognized for my effort.”

In addition to the personal growth gained from the experience, other students also reaped the rewards of the achievement. “At the school's request, I spoke with a group of people interested in OBMEP and shared my entire experience with the PIC program, talked about the scholarship, and helped some people prepare. It was incredible because I feel I served as an inspiration to them, who saw someone close to them win a medal,” she says.

The awards led Maria Lívia to discover the Junior Scientific Initiation Program (PIC) , where she began accessing in-depth math classes with professors from UnB. "It was very different from what I studied at school, and I loved it because it was more challenging," she said. The classes helped her study for the competition and, according to the student, even with her school assessments.

In high school, she won a full scholarship to study at a private school, where she remained until graduating from her final year of high school. Her next step is to begin her long-awaited undergraduate degree in environmental engineering. "Because of OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools), I was able to realize what my field of study would be from an early age, and I had the support of my family to pursue this choice, so I am very grateful to have participated," she says.