BS AMF sophomore wins 1st Runner-Up in 50th UP Math Wizard search
19 Mar 2024 | Kurt Ecaranum (1 BS MA)
Jose Maria Bernardo II (2 BS AMF, DOST Scholar) was awarded as the Math Sorcerer (1st Runner-up) of The 50th Annual Nationwide Search for the Math Wizard held on 9 March 2024, at the PHIVOLCS Auditorium, UP Diliman, Quezon City.
![Jimbo Bernardo](/sites/default/files/inline-images/Jimbo2_0.jpg)
Bernardo participated in UP Little Math Wizard when he was in Grade 5, and ever since had wanted to join the UP Math Wizard as soon as he got to college.
I'm proud to be joining this contest to represent Ateneo, and I'm really grateful that I got 2nd, as it means that I'm capable of competing with the best in the country.
The Annual Nationwide Search for the Math Wizard is a collegiate mathematics competition hosted by the UP Math Club. Yearly, the best and brightest mathematical minds from various Philippine universities take the challenge.
Bernardo won 2nd runner-up in last year's Math Wizard search. His achievements have been some of Ateneo’s best feats in the competition since the back-to-back victories of now-alumnus Kyle Patrick Dulay in 2019 and 2020.
For those who are aiming to join math contests, Bernardo has this to say:
If you really want to join a math contest, then just go for it! It doesn't hurt to try. But if you want to be able to solve the problems in these contests, or even any challenging math problem in general, it takes hard work...But in a contest, try not to stress out too much on doing bad, just try your best and have fun.
Other Atenean finalists in the 50th Annual Search for the Math Wizard were Joseph Banaybanay (1 BS AMDSc) and Sean Matthew Tan (1 BS AMDSc), who made it to the Top 15, and Kurt Ecaranum (1 BS MA), who made it to the Top 30 of the competition.
![Ateneo finalists](/sites/default/files/inline-images/UPMathWizard.png)
Immanuel Josiah Balete of UP Diliman emerged victorious as this year’s Math Wizard (Champion) and Top Male Scorer of the Elimination Round. The other winners of the competition were Justin Teng Soon Khoo of Mapua University (2nd Runner-up), Jan Joshua Cruz from DLSU Manila (3rd Runner-up), Marksen Viktor Lizarondo of Lyceum of the Philippines University - Cavite and Charles Dwight Pelaez of UP Los Baños (tie for 4th Runner-up), and Maria Mariella Dumaya from DLSU Manila as the Top Female Scorer of the Eliminations.
Photos courtesy of Abie Bernardo.