Kristel Acuña, an eleventh-year Costa Rican student at the Puriscal Barbacoas Technology Orientation College, gave the country the first medal in a European Women’s Mathematics Olympiad (EGMO). Acuña achieved silver in the 2021 edition of these jousts and became the first for the country after sending a delegation to this Olympiad for the past five years.
Stimulating a way of thinking
“The Math Olympics stimulate a way of thinking that prevents pigeonholing. When you are faced with a problem, you are not told how to solve it, it can be solved in a thousand different ways. Beyond all the theoretical knowledge that one has, you have to know how to use tricks and creativity,” said Acuña.
In the case of Kristel, she participated for the second time in this competition, considered to be of a very high level among international mathematics competitions. “The EGMO test is the most difficult I have ever done. It is an Olympiad in which many countries participate,” said Acuña, who is 17 years old.
In addition to Acuña, the team was made up of Nicole Lipschitz, from the British School of Costa Rica; Viviana Le Roy Cáceres, from the Cartago Scientific College; and Stephanie Sandoval Camacho, a graduate of Colegio Monterrey. EGMO 2021 was held from April 9th to 15th, coordinated from the city of Kutaisi, in Georgia, virtually, with the participation of 55 countries from different continents.
