Problem solvers

Two SIS students have every reason to be proud of their mathematical abilities. Their prowess earned SIS the rare distinction of having two students in the final 30 of the Swedish Maths Olympiad - a competition open to all schools in Sweden. 

Yihan Liu (grade 10) and Yebum Choi (grade 12), reached the final after a gruelling test they sat earlier this year. The elimination is swift: thirty finalists progress in one round from all the entries throughout the country. Yebum earned the additional kudos of finishing third in the final, and will now progress to the forthcoming International Maths Olympiad competition.

Neither Yihan nor Yebum are particularly phased by the competition environment, despite the final lasting for an uninterrupted 5 hour session. ‘I used to get stressed when I first started doing competitions’ says Yebum, ‘but after a while I have come to enjoy it. I don’t look upon it as competing with the other participants, more about competing with the questions.’ Yihan agrees: ‘ I don’t approach it with a high expectation of competitive success, I just enjoy the process.’

Both showed talent in mathematics at an early age but stress it's not innate. ‘I may have started at an early age’ explains Yebum, ‘but accomplishment has been a process, a slow progression to where I am now.’ Yihan agrees: ‘It’s not that I discovered I could do things others couldn’t, but perhaps I found I could do them easier or faster.’

Both enjoy the structure and process within the mathematical discipline: building on definitions; testing theories; reaching the correct answer. Yet for all their mathematical talent, neither wishes to pursue a career in pure mathematics. ‘I see myself following a career in engineering or similar’ explains Yihan, ‘I intend to incorporate chemistry and physics into my studies when I progress to the Diploma Programme.’ For Yebum it’s the same; chemical engineering is the career he sees for himself.

For now, both can enjoy their recent success, though for Yebum, another stiff competition is just around the corner!