Every year, we award five $10,000 scholarships to graduation seniors who have created and put into action a program of some kind to give back to and help their community. Our 2024 winners worked hard to do just that. You can check out our top winner here. We’d also like to take the opportunity to spotlight the other four winners!
Today’s spotlight is on Thrisha Kalpatthi, who launched Pittsburgh Metro Math.
From her early grade school years, Thrisha has been involved in competitive math. As she got older, she noticed a lack of diversity in those competitions. She began to see that most competitions were geared toward students who had more experience and who had sharpened their math skills with the use of coaches and other prepatory materials. Students who did not have access to those extra resources often left competitions without awards and feeling discouraged. This outcome would sometimes lead to those students losing confidence and interest in math. Thrisha realized that it would be incredibly beneficial to create “an inclusive environment that would foster talent among all aspiring mathematicians.”
Using her own experience and knowledge about mathematic competitions and creative problem solving, Thrisha set out to find a way to help these aspiring mathematicians. Together with her sister, she designed, organized, and launched the Pittsburgh Metro Math Competition. In order to make this happen, she secured scholarships, created competition questions, and gathered volunteers. She held two competitions with great success, and even raised $1500 for the Brashear Association, a non-profit organization in her community. She is also working on launching weekly math classes, hoping to equip students with the knowledge needed to compete and excel in higher level competitions.
Good work, Thrisha! I love this project and the positive impact it has had on students and the interest in mathematics that it has generated for students in her area.
