MATH WHIZES: Six St. John’s School students have been awarded the Thomas Pearson Mathematics Scholarship. From left, Donggeon Kim, Thalia Jones, Kailee Wong, benefactor Thomas Pearson, Chanju Lee, Vinh Nguyen and Taiyo Tagami. Photo courtesy of St. John’s School
MATH WHIZES: Six St. John’s School students have been awarded the Thomas Pearson Mathematics Scholarship. From left, Donggeon Kim, Thalia Jones, Kailee Wong, benefactor Thomas Pearson, Chanju Lee, Vinh Nguyen and Taiyo Tagami. Photo courtesy of St. John’s School
The hard work and dedication of six St. John’s School students have added up to financial relief for their parents, as they have been awarded the Thomas Pearson Mathematics Scholarship, an “esteemed scholarship” that rewards students for their mathematical excellence.
The Thomas Pearson Mathematics Scholarship was awarded to William Hancock (6th grade), Doris Chang (7th grade), Donggeon Kim (8th grade), Jaewon Choi (9th grade), Saya Green (10th grade) and Allan Zeng (11th grade).
“These exceptional students have demonstrated remarkable dedication to mathematics, currently taking math classes above their current grade level or double their math coursework. All six students will each receive $1000 toward their school tuition,” the school said in a release.
The students at times took math courses three years above their grade level, according to the scholarship’s benefactor, Thomas Pearson, who retired from St. John’s in 2021 after teaching mathematics for 27 years.
“‘Ad astra per optima.’ The motto of St. John’s School is ‘Reach for the stars.’ We encourage our students to take the most challenging courses available to them. This group of Knights has done just that. They have not only taken the most challenging math courses offered, at least one and sometimes three years above grade level, but they have also excelled at the advanced level. I am so pleased to be able to recognize their achievement and reward them for their performance,” Pearson said.
Each of the students was hand-selected by Pearson. Those The Guam Daily Post spoke with shared that their passion for math began years ago.
“For as long as I can remember, math was one of my favorite subjects in school, and that remains true to this day. The focus on problem-solving and out-of-the-box thinking is what has kept me intrigued with the subject, since it’s always felt somewhat like a game or a puzzle to me,” Green told the Post.
While mathematics can be intimidating for some, Green is motivated by the challenge.
“Rather than thinking of the subject as something beyond me, I thought of it as the next step for me to take to reach my full potential in the subject,” she said.
For Zeng, his love for math is fueled by his parents.
“When I was younger, my parents would always get me these workbooks that I could do on my own. And these workbooks, they weren’t hard, but they were very challenging for me at a young age. I was really determined to solve the problems in the workbook. And then after I got to middle school, I had the opportunity to be in classes that were above my grade level at St. John’s, so I definitely took that opportunity. And of course, the teachers were really nice and great because they supported me and taught me a lot of things outside of the curriculum as well,” Zeng said.
Zeng finds his motivation to excel in his fellow peers and in his future aspirations.
“I can give back. So, for example, sometimes it’s classmates that can help me. I try to also be able to teach them stuff that they don’t know. And also, I guess it’s also really nice for me because in the future, I’m thinking of going into some sort of like math or like business, more like competitive finance sort of thing. So given that, that’s sort of how my motivation goes,” he said.
Although the students excel in math, Green shared that she has also faced challenges.
“I’m so grateful to receive the Thomas Pearson Mathematics Scholarship, especially since Mr. Pearson himself has played a role in my growth and confidence in math. A few years ago, I was struggling in my math class for the first time in my life and was very frustrated. I went to Mr. Pearson for help, and after a few lessons with him, I mastered the material I was struggling with,” Green said.
The students felt honored to be recognized by Pearson for their achievements in math.
“Mr. Pearson’s legacy in the school can still be seen today, as he is still involved with the school and some of the current teachers are his former students. I know he’s dealt with many brilliant math students, so for me to be selected as a recipient fills me with a great sense of pride. It means even more that someone who has contributed to my success in math has recognized my hard work,” Green said.
“It’s sort of like a testament to my abilities as a mathematician and as a student. So, I’m very happy to be selected,” Zeng added.
The students encouraged other youth to take an interest in math and not to give up when the problems get hard.
“I would strongly encourage them towards taking those advanced courses and advise them to be engaged in class, use their resources available to them, and give their full effort every day,” Green said.
“My advice is don’t be scared. Sometimes the concepts may sound really hard. Like, when that first was introduced the calculus, I was a little afraid because of course, calculus is like the big branch that only advanced people get to do. But then I got to know it, and I realized it actually wasn’t as difficult to grasp as I expected. And so don’t be scared of the concepts that you haven’t learned. Don’t be scared to try when new projects and new topics. Honestly, have fun,” Zeng said.
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