IMPA Tech graduate receives 7th OBMEP gold medal

Winning a gold medal at the OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Math Olympics) is the dream of many students from different regions of the country. For Mateus Mundstock, the achievement is not just symbolic, but materializes the change in his life and the transformation of his academic career. The young man was born in Viçosa (MG), but it was in Rio Paranaíba (MG) that he grew up and had contact with the Knowledge Olympiad. His career in the competition was a determining factor in his arrival in Rio de Janeiro to attend IMPA’s undergraduate program, IMPA Tech.

Throughout his school life, the student has accumulated 8 medals in the competition: 7 gold and 1 silver. The most recent honor, a gold medal won at the 19th OBMEP 2024, was received at the National Awards Ceremony on Monday (30) in Rio. These achievements enabled Mateus to enter the bachelor’s degree program in Mathematics of Technology and Innovation. “OBMEP was a catalyst for all my academic ambitions. After all these years, after a pandemic, I’m an IMPA Tech student,” he said.

Mateus took part in OBMEP for the first time in 2016 and soon got his first gold. “It was shocking, but at the same time very cool, I was able to travel to the National Ceremony and had experiences with other medal winners, such as the games room, the lectures and the snacks.”

 

 

Although attending the event was nothing new for Mateus, the seventh celebration had a special element: it was the first time the young man’s parents had been able to watch him receive the medal, which consecrated him as a heptamedalist. “At my first ceremony, there were two heptamedal winners. They came on stage and I was delighted, imagining being there one day. And now I’m here, I made it,” he said.

The impressive number of medals won was only possible thanks to a particular decision by Mateus, who restarted high school after the end of online classes. “During the pandemic, remote education in the state network of Minas Gerais was horrible. I felt like I learned almost nothing in 2020 and 2021, so in 2022 I decided to start high school all over again. I went to COLUNI, which is a very good university school. I saw that it would be better for my academic career, even if it delayed my graduation by another two years,” she said.

Throughout high school, the student dedicated himself to all areas of knowledge, but already envisioned his future in the exact sciences. “I’m in favor of a broad, interdisciplinary education, but it was OBMEP that attracted me to this area. I even did a Scientific Initiation project in History, but I had already decided that I wanted a degree in Mathematics.”

Moving on to IMPA Tech became a priority for the young man from Minas Gerais, who was also delighted with the student benefits that the degree offers: accommodation, food and financial aid. “Studying here is a wonderful opportunity and living next to the college helps a lot. I meet my classmates in the corridors and we chat, exchanging ideas. It’s really nice,” he said.

“The practical classes are also very good and it’s rare to have them on other courses, because the tutors are postgraduate students at IMPA. Although I prefer to study on my own, in my own time, whenever I need something, the tutors are here,” he added

The son of university professors, the graduate still doesn’t know which path to follow in the future, but he is sure that studying will be part of his academic journey for a long time. “I tend to go into academia, but I think the NCE (Careers and Internships Center) will help me on this path. Even if I go into the job market, I want to do a master’s degree and a doctorate.”

Read more: Undergraduates receive gold medal at OBMEP National Ceremony
See also: MEC launches ‘Toda Matemática’ at OBMEP awards ceremony in Rio