A young math wizard from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte is currently making waves in the online community for bagging the Golden Cup Award for winning gold in various international Math competitions organized by the Math Olympiads Training League Inc. (MOTLI).

MOTLI is a non-stock, non-profit organization of mathematics professionals dedicated to honing the potentials of mathematically-inclined Filipino kids.

Brian Jansen Vallejo, 13, a Grade 7 student of the Sarrat National High School under the Thales Special Program for Mathematics is the first to receive such award for winning gold in the heat round of the Thailand International Math Olympiad (TIMO) and Big Bei Bay Math Olympiad (BBB) all in 2022 and the Philippine International Math Olympiad (PhIMO) and the Hong Kong International Mathematical Olympiad (HKMIO) in 2023.

“We are so happy that all our hard work paid off. This is the first time that we have a student who is a golden cup awardee in the TIMO, BBB, PhIMO, and HKIMO,” said Michael Malvar, one of the head coaches of the SNHS Math Olympians, in an interview on Friday.

Vallejo and seven other ‘matheletes’ namely Allen Iver D. Barroga, Natalie Margaret Balisacan, Zyrene Angelica Dulluog, Mar Lean Malvar, Arianne Rasalan, Ma. Cassandra Duque and Jushiem Barroga brought honor to the Sarrat school for winning a total of five golds, one silver, one bronze, and one merit award in the HKIMO held last May 28, 2023.

The feat landed Sarrat National High School in 15th rank out of the 495 public and private schools from the Philippines that participated in the competition.

HKIMO is an annual international competition that aims to stimulate and foster young people’s interest in learning mathematics, strengthen the ability of their creative thinking, widen their international perspective, and promote the development of primary and secondary education, and exchange of educational cultures throughout countries and regions, said a press statement released by the school on .

Invited participants are from Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Ukraine, Philippines, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Taiwan, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia.

“To get gold awards in all the international math olympiads that we joined is an inspiration to all our students. Hope we can train more of them,” Malvar said.

The winners will receive their awards during the mid-year awarding ceremony at the Notre Dame in Caloocan City on July 16, 2023. (PNA)