‘It’s the opportunity of a lifetime’, says IMPA Tech graduate

15/1/2025

The hit song of the summer “Descer para BC” tells of a group of friends who left the countryside to enjoy Balneário Camboriú (BC), a city in Santa Catarina famous for its trendy coastline. You could say that Adriana Kaminsky took the opposite route. The 19-year-old, who was born in Itapema, a municipality near BC, moved to Rio de Janeiro to pursue her dream of studying at IMPA Tech.

An OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Math Olympics) medalist, Adriana is part of IMPA’s first graduating class and has completed a year living in Rio. “It was very worthwhile, I don’t regret a thing. Being at IMPA Tech is a great experience, both professionally and personally. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” he said.

Family encouragement was fundamental to the student’s career, and she was inspired by her brother, who is studying for a master’s degree in mathematics at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC). “My parents didn’t go to university, but they always encouraged me and supported my studies. I learned about OBMEP from my older brother, who won an honorable mention and made my mother proud. I remember she hung up the certificate in the living room and I thought: ‘when I can, I’m going to take the test’,” he said.

In the 6th grade, Adriana took part in the science competition for the first time and also won a mention. The following year, she dedicated herself even more and the effort paid off. “In my second OBMEP, in 7th grade, I was going through some personal problems and found refuge in studying for the Olympiad. I dedicated myself and got a gold medal, which delighted me because I realized I was cool.”

Thanks to her achievement, the student won a trip to Salvador (BA), where she took part in the OBMEP National Awards Ceremony. “It was the first time I had traveled by plane and the first time I had left the south of the country. From then on, it turned a switch in my head and I realized that studying can change the future, so I started studying even more for other areas of school,” she said.

Throughout high school, the IFSC Itajaí (Federal Institute of Santa Catarina) extension projects and the PIC (Jr. Scientific Initiation Program) meetings helped Adriana understand that she really liked mathematics and that she could pursue a professional future in the exact sciences. “I tutored students from public schools and did research into manipulative materials and didactic sequences. I also continued to take part in the math Olympics and I was becoming more and more fascinated with the subject. In the PIC classes, I had a completely different view of the area,” she said.

Now in Rio de Janeiro, the student is taking advantage of IMPA Tech’s interdisciplinary curriculum to dedicate herself even more to her studies. “The practical classes help me a lot. I came here with some difficulties in some areas, but the monitors are very good. They have more experience in the area and exchange lots of tips with us. I’m learning to like the areas I have difficulty with, but I already know I want to focus on Mathematics.”

For Adriana, the student housing, offered by Rio de Janeiro City Hall, is also one of the graduation’s differentials. “The atmosphere of encouragement in which we live is very nice. Little by little, you stop feeling alone and you share the weight of the process with your classmates, which makes everything easier,” she said.

Read more: #BeyondEquations: get to know our students’ stories
See also: IMPA Tech students take part in Summer School