31/01/2023

'OBMEP was the Olympiad that opened doors for me,' says medalist.

Leonardo Melito foi medalhista de prata na 17ª OBMEP

Leonardo Juliano Melito, an 18-year-old resident of Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul, who has won multiple medals in various knowledge olympiads, says that the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) was responsible for encouraging him to participate in other scientific competitions. Today, the young man has accumulated ten medals from different olympiads – four of them from the OBMEP: two bronze, one silver, and one gold. He also received an honorable mention.

“OBMEP was my first Olympiad and my first medal, at age 13 [bronze]. It opened doors for me, made me realize I had a talent for mathematics, and with that I was able to improve my studies and transfer that learning to other areas of knowledge.”

The young man's performance secured him a place in the PIC (Junior Scientific Initiation Program), which offers a monthly grant of R$100 from CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) for students from public schools who have won medals to join study groups focused on mathematics. For Leonardo, participation in the program was crucial for progressing in other subjects as well.

“OBMEP made me realize that I could focus on this academic path. With the PIC program, I won a bronze medal for the second time, did the PIC program again, and won my first and only gold medal in OBMEP. I saw people receiving them and thought I would never be able to. Then, other medals came. I was awarded in the National Science Olympiad (ONC); the Astronomy Olympiad (OBA); the Physics Olympiad; and the Regional Mathematics Olympiad of Rio Grande do Sul. If it weren't for OBMEP, I wouldn't have discovered these other areas.”

The long-awaited gold medal was achieved in 2019. In the last 17th edition of OBMEP, in 2022, Leonardo won the silver medal – which has yet to be awarded.

The son of a public school teacher, the young man says that his parents' encouragement was crucial in achieving all his results. "My mother knew the power that OBMEP had, and that's why my parents encouraged me a lot to study and participate. A large part of the credit goes to them."

Focused on his studies, upon completing middle school, Leonardo had to leave his hometown at age 15 to attend high school at the Tiradentes Military Brigade College in Passo Fundo – located 80 km from Erechim. “I started by living with a couple who were friends of my family, and soon after I moved out on my own, but I already knew how to take care of myself.”

This year, the student is preparing for another change of address – also motivated by his studies. Leonardo is on his way to Rio de Janeiro. He will be studying Economics at a private university in the marvelous city.