ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES, July 18, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — The MATHCOUNTS Foundation today announced two winners of the 2024 MATHCOUNTS Community Coaching Scholarship. Created in 2021, the MATHCOUNTS Community Coaching Scholarship each year presents two $3000 awards to MATHCOUNTS alumni who plan to start MATHCOUNTS programs at schools with low-income students or students who are underrepresented in STEM.
Mahi Kohli is a rising sophomore at Olathe North High School. She has conducted award-winning Alzheimer’s research and founded a nonprofit to empower marginalized groups called STEMing with the Stars. Kohli is starting a MATHCOUNTS program at Hickman Mills Middle School in Kansas City, MO. “Hickman Mills is a wonderful school full of bright, enthusiastic kids and is eager to gain representation in STEM through MATHCOUNTS. Hand in hand with Hickman Mills, I want to raise math awareness for everyone — one student at a time,” Kohli said.
Indrani Das Sarma is a rising junior at Hawken School in Chesterland, Ohio. She is a Science Olympiad and math tutor who has also had success in debate and essay competitions. Sarma plans to start a MATHCOUNTS program at the I Promise School in Akron, Ohio. “Resources like MATHCOUNTS are pivotal in early education for both the development of math skills and interest in math…I have witnessed first-hand what a difference a MATHCOUNTS program can make, and I especially want to introduce this program to underprivileged kids,” Sarma said.
MATHCOUNTS has also chosen a cohort of eight other Community Coaches who will each receive helpful resources for the schools where they’ll coach: free registration for the MATHCOUNTS Competition Series, free access to the MATHCOUNTS online problem library, a stipend for supplies and ongoing support from MATHCOUNTS staff. The 2024 cohort consists of:
• Ali Fasihuddin, coaching at Victoria Fertitta Middle School in Las Vegas, Nev.
• Hope Hallock, coaching at Academy Prep Center for Education in Lakeland, Fla.
• Rishidharan Jayakumar, coaching at Third Creek Middle School in Statesville, N.C.
• Jason Lee, coaching at Durham School of the Arts in Durham, N.C.
• Anvita Rayabarapu, coaching at Westridge Middle School in Overland Park, Kan.
• Jason Shi, coaching at Ritenour Middle School in St. Louis, Mo.
• Rishabh Venkataramani, coaching at Mills Middle School in Rancho Dordova, Calif.
• Eric Wang, coaching at Scottsdale Unified School District in Scottsdale, Ariz.
MATHCOUNTS can present these scholarships and free resources thanks to support from the title sponsor U.S. Department of Defense STEM.
“DoD STEM extends a hearty welcome to this year’s MATHCOUNTS Community Coaches. We are sure that your efforts to start MATHCOUNTS programs at your school will positively impact the students and you as you share your math competency with others,” said DoD STEM Director Louie Lopez. “The future is all about STEM, and STEM doesn’t happen without math!”
The MATHCOUNTS Community Coaching Scholarship is open to high school and college students who participated in a MATHCOUNTS program when they were in middle school. The winners and cohort members were selected following multiple rounds of review by a panel of MATHCOUNTS national staff and volunteers from sponsors RTX, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Bentley Systems, CNA Insurance, and Google.
“This award helps with two huge priorities for MATHCOUNTS—supporting underserved students and supporting our alumni,” said Kristen Chandler, executive director of the MATHCOUNTS Foundation. “Funding from DoD STEM has been monumental in both introducing MATHCOUNTS to students of all backgrounds and giving our alumni the tools to apply what they’ve learned.”
About MATHCOUNTS
MATHCOUNTS is a non-profit organization that strives to engage middle school students of all abilities and interest levels in fun, challenging math programs to expand their academic and professional opportunities. Middle school students exist at a critical juncture in which their love for mathematics must be nurtured, or their fear of mathematics must be overcome. MATHCOUNTS provides free, high-quality resources to educators and enriching, extracurricular opportunities to students to lay a foundation for future success. Learn more about scholarships, programs, and math resources at www.mathcounts.org.
About DoD STEM
DoD STEM seeks to attract, inspire, and develop exceptional STEM talent across the education continuum and advance the current DoD STEM workforce to meet future defense technological challenges. DSEC is a partnership between DoD STEM and 21 national partners committed to increasing the capacity of STEM education among underrepresented groups.
Molly Gormley
MATHCOUNTS
molly@mathcounts.org
