Washington, DC- Jessica Wan of San Juan, Puerto Rico, has been named the first-ever Maryam Mirzakhani AMC 10A Prize winner for her performance on the 2020 Mathematical Association of America American Mathematics Competitions (MAA AMC) tenth-grade competition. Jessica achieved a perfect score of 150 on the AMC 10A, higher than any other female participant in the United States. The MAA AMC 10A competition had over 36,000 competitors across the U.S.
Jessica is an 8th-grade student at Saint John’s School in San Juan. Jessica began studying extracurricular math and participating in math competitions in the 2nd-grade. Problems involving functional equations are her favorite to solve. Jessica was inspired to compete in math competitions by her brother, Edward Wan, who won a gold medal as part of the U.S. team at the 2019 International Mathematical Olympiad. Jessica shared that she is inspired by J.K. Rowling’s for her persistence. Despite being rejected by twelve publishers, she continued to pursue her dream. Jessica showed similar persistence by taking the AMC 10A at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL, while evacuated from Puerto Rico after the 2019 earthquake.
Inaugural Maryam Mirzakhani AMC 10A Awards have been granted to 149 female students across the U.S. as top-performing female students in each MAA Section. The full list of award winners can be viewed here.
Inaugural Maryam Mirzakhani AMC 10A Awards have been granted to 149 female students across the U.S. as top-performing female students in each MAA Section. The full list of award winners can be viewed here.
“It is an honor to recognize Jessica Wan and all of the Maryam Mirzakhani AMC 10A Award winners. These students deserve much praise for their hard work and dedication to problem-solving. I also hope that their achievements will encourage other talented girls to engage with the AMC."
Bela Bajnok, director of American Mathematics Competitions and professor at Gettysburg College
The Maryam Mirzakhani AMC 10 Prize is a $5,000 scholarship to be presented at the yearly Mathematical Olympiad Awards Ceremony in Washington, DC. The Maryam Mirzakhani AMC 10 Awards are certificates provided to the top-scoring AMC 10A females from each MAA Section. The prize and awards are made possible by the generosity of Awesome Math Girls.
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About AMC
The Mathematical Association of America is the world’s largest community of mathematicians, students, and enthusiasts. We accelerate the understanding of our world through mathematics because mathematics drives society and shapes our lives. Learn more at maa.org.
