IMPA Tech graduate receives OBMEP medal at event in Rio

14/06/2024

Winner of four OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Mathematical Olympiad) medals, Leonardo Giboski Segheto, 18, received his latest competition achievement on June 11 at a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. The young man, born in Chapecó (SC), has been living in Rio de Janeiro since April, when he began his journey at IMPA Tech. Leonardo told us more about his relationship with mathematics in the #AlémDasEquações. Check it out!

On receiving his 4th OBMEP medal, which he won last year, he highlighted the importance of the Olympiad in this new stage of his life. “I’m very happy with this medal, even more so in the presence of President Lula at the awards ceremony. This achievement is very important, as it enabled me to enter IMPA Tech,” he said. In addition to Leonardo, eight other IMPA Tech students won gold at the National Awards Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

But Segheto’s relationship with OBMEP began long before this celebration. It was in 2019, during the 8th grade, that the student won his first medal in the competition, a bronze. From then on, excited by his achievement, he joined the PIC (Jr. Scientific Initiation Program) and dedicated himself even more to the competition in the following years.

“The classes at the PIC were a lot of fun. I made some friends and we had a very interesting exchange, because it was an environment of people who already had medals. That experience helped me a lot. I studied using the OBMEP material itself, taking old tests, and the scientific initiation books,” she said.

The student went on to win gold in all the editions he took part in: 2021, 2022 and 2023 – in 2020 the competition was not held due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Now, in 2024, Leonardo is studying Mathematics for Technology and Innovation at the Port Maravalley hub. “It’s a unique experience! The classes are really nice, in a welcoming environment, with people from all over Brazil who are interested in mathematics,” he said.

The Chapeco native, who was thinking of studying medicine during high school, saw OBMEP as a chance to improve his skills in the area of exact sciences. “Before OBMEP I didn’t see mathematics as a possibility for graduation. I took a few entrance exams, mainly in Santa Catarina, because I wanted to study medicine. But I think it was the Olympiad that opened my eyes and, with the opportunity of IMPA Tech, I made the decision to take part in the selection process,” he said.

The process of moving to Rio was full of expectations among his family and a lot of excitement about starting his studies. “I was apprehensive, but we talked a lot with the IMPA Tech coordinators and with the other students who had been selected and that put my mind at ease,” he said.

IMPA’s undergraduate program welcomes students from all regions of the country and, in this first year, the selection took into account performance in the knowledge olympiads (OBMEP, OBM, OBF, OBQ and OBI) or the math score from the ENEM (National High School Exam).

It wasn’t an easy choice, but the student is enjoying his degree and is sure of his decision. “I’m thinking of pursuing a mathematics degree and then I want to continue with my studies. Maybe I’ll do a master’s and a doctorate, possibly at IMPA, or study abroad. I’m open to new opportunities,” concluded Leonardo.

Read more: ‘Never give up on your dreams’, says IMPA Tech student
See also: OBMEP ceremony awards 650 students and Lula with medals