Nine MSMS students competed at Mississippi College in Clinton last Thursday as part of the 38th annual Mississippi Science and Mathematics Tournament.

The competition consisted of individual tests and a quiz bowl. Each student was required to choose two individual tests to take and Gary Nguyen, Leah Pettit, William Johnson, Andy Zhao, Wrishija Roy, Haydn Schroader, Vivienne Tenev, Harpreet Singh, and Mayukh Datta attacked topics such as math, physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science.

The top 1 and 2 percentile scorers from each individual subject tests were given a certificate and a scholarship to the college. Almost every MSMS participant received this award. 

Harpreet Singh, William Johnson, Andy Zhao, and Mayukh Datta also represented MSMS in the quiz bowl section of the competition and won.

For some students, this was their first time in such a competitive landscape. “This was my first time participating in a math and science competition like this. The classes at MSMS prepared me for these tests, and overall I had a really great time with everybody,” senior Mayukh Datta said.

This competition was also a first for senior Andy Zhao. “I’ve been to math competitions and science competitions, but this is my first with both math and science. Even though we couldn’t stay for the awards ceremony, I think we all had a lot of fun,” Zhao said.

For junior Gary Nguyen, this was not his first time in this setting, but it still felt meaningful. “The Mississippi College competition is an especially important one to me because it was the first math and science tournament at the high school level that I ever competed in. Having been able to return this year was, in a way, personally rewarding. Living that memory again reminded me of how much I love to compete to better myself as well as how much passion I have for the subjects,” Nguyen said.