2012 MATHCOUNTS SPRINT ROUND. As I stared at my first MathCounts practice test, my seventh grade mind begged for more sleep. After plowing through thirty monotonous quadratic factorizations assigned as algebra homework the previous night, I dreaded more math, let alone waking up at 6:30 for a MathCounts practice. Little did I know, this forty minute contest math test would spark a passion in mathematics that would change my life. Contest math questions were unique because the solutions were simple to comprehend,...

During my freshman year, my friends and I would always rendezvous in the orchestra room after school. This provided an occasion to discuss the daily progress (or lack thereof) on our crushes, funny moments of the day, and anything else we wished. The orchestra room was unique because it contained a series of small, smelly, and poorly maintained rooms fondly referred to as the “backrooms”. We accessed the “backrooms” by going through a large steel door in the back of...

Throughout my high school career, I have loved using the restroom. For most, a bathroom break provides a well-timed break from class and a chance to fulfill basic needs. For me, a trip to the restroom is much more. As I look down at the urinal, I can see the conversion that one gallon is equivalent to 3.8 liters. Through my many years of observation, I have ingrained this fact in my brain. I find it interesting that although everybody has...

For two summers, I had the opportunity to volunteer at my local scholastic chess camp. I truly enjoyed promoting the joy of chess to enthusiastic students and the challenge of presenting difficult concepts in a simple, concrete way. In addition, I have always felt that my community lacks avenues for elementary students to exercise their analytical thinking skills. As a young thinker myself, I loved exploring fascinating logic games like Rush Hour and River Crossing, but craved an organized outlet...

It took an interruption from daily anxiety for me to become aware of why squares seemed so familiar. Amidst my sea of college applications, I decided one Saturday morning that I would relax and play some pickup games of basketball at the local YMCA. As my friends and I shot free throws to determine teams, I stared at the square on the backboard, and the realization suddenly came to me: this is where it all began. This is square one. ...

“Morgan, eat your cauliflower! You are lucky that we have such vegetables!” Even as my mom scolded me, my foolish elementary self could only think about the sickening, scaly texture of the snow-covered trees in front of me. It would be years before I would understand the symbolic significance of eating a diverse range of foods. As a poor teacher’s daughter in Communist China, my mom’s daily diet of cabbage and rice was not nearly enough to nourish...