01/02/2022

Students celebrate medal wins at the 16th OBMEP.

The results of the 1Fridays OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools) brought not only medals and honorable mentions to the participants, but also new perspectives and plans for the future of the award winners. Students from all over Brazil who are among the winners of the 575 gold medals, 1,725 silver medals, 5,175 bronze medals, and 51,900 honorable mention certificates that the Olympiad will distribute in this edition shared how they received the results.

One of them was Luccas de Souza Mendes, 13, who, in his debut at the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools), won a medal for the municipality of Boca do Acre, in the interior of Amazonas. A student at the Benicio Rodrigues Pena Municipal School, Luccas immediately won a gold medal in Level 1. "The Olympiad took me out of my comfort zone by testing my reasoning and creativity in an unprecedented way," summarized the medalist, who said he studied independently.

Despite expressing surprise at the difficulty of the exam, the Amazonian student said he had prepared extensively. “I visited the OBMEP website and studied past exams and solutions. I studied on my own, researching online. I think the OBMEP doesn't depend on any formula or calculation; it explores the reasoning ability of each one of us,” he commented.

Luccas de Souza Mendes levou o ouro em sua estreia na olimpíada

Luccas said he still can't believe his achievement and mentioned that his family also celebrated. "I think my mother celebrated more than I did, because I had no idea of the magnitude of what I had accomplished. Even now I think I'm dreaming and that I could wake up at any moment."

Also from Level 1, 14-year-old student Giovanna Gualberto de Melo from Rio de Janeiro participated in the Olympiad for the second time. In her first experience, at the 1Thursdays edition, she won a gold medal for Colégio Pedro II. Currently, she is a student at the Military College of Rio de Janeiro and celebrates her second victory with the same joy. “Being a medalist gives me a certain foundation for the future, because it shows that, since I was little, I have been striving and dedicating myself to my studies,” she comments.

In Giovanna's home, the success story in the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) runs in the family. Her sister, Fernanda Gualberto de Melo, also received an honorable mention in the 8th edition of the Olympiad. Today, she holds a law degree from the Federal Fluminense University (UFF). Pioneers in mathematics studies within their family, the sisters are the daughters of a mechanic and a telemarketing assistant. “Everyone was very happy with my award! I feel great; being awarded in a mathematics Olympiad is an incredible feeling and proves that I am capable,” says the Rio de Janeiro native proudly.

In Bodocó, a municipality of 38,000 inhabitants in the interior of Pernambuco, the celebration was for Matheus Bezerra Luna, 17, a Level 3 participant who achieved first place among the state's gold medalists. Born in Ribeirão Preto (SP), the student currently lives in the rural area of the municipality, which has only two medalists in this edition.

“Since the Fridays grade, I have been winning awards from OBMEP. In the 7th grade, I was confident and expected to surpass my previous result, but I won a bronze medal. I was a little discouraged, but that made me want to improve and study even more. In the last three editions, more familiar with the Olympiad, I managed to win gold, which makes me very satisfied,” he says.

Matheus Bezerra Luna ao lado de Marcelo Viana, diretor-geral do IMPA

The son of farmers, Matheus jokes that the news wasn't unexpected for his family, who are used to his achievements. “According to my mother, there were no surprises this year! But they were very happy and proud as always. It's great to achieve a good result after putting in the effort during preparation. I managed to reach my goal of being in first place in the competition, so it's very satisfying. The medal brings the opportunity to be recognized, to show that when you have a goal and the will to achieve it, it's possible,” he says.

To achieve this goal, many medalists opted for programs that encourage math competitions in their schools. This was the case for Level 3 gold medalist Nicolas Vilete Fonseca Linhares, 17. A resident of Nilópolis, Rio de Janeiro, he explained how a project at the Colégio Estadual Marechal Zenóbio da Costa, where he studies, helped him prepare.

Nicolas Vilete Fonseca Linhares conquistou uma medalha de ouro na 1Fridays OBMEP

“We have a project at my school called 'Flipped Classroom' where the teacher in charge helps us study and engage with math olympiads. We took previous OBMEP exams and studied test-taking strategies,” he says. Despite the preparation, Nicolas said he was surprised by the result and celebrated the news with great joy.

“When I saw it, my eyes widened in disbelief and I jumped out of my chair smiling! I really wanted this medal and it was like a dream come true. My parents were very happy. I hope this achievement helps me get into a good university, because I intend to study pure mathematics and my most ambitious dream is, in some way, to leave my mark on the history of mathematics. Yes, I know it's quite ambitious!”, he says excitedly.