Masitis Ahmed, winner of the 2020 Irene Naismith Mathematics Award from Crawford High School.

1. I was good at learning math in high school so I decided to always take the advanced math classes and to take calculus even though it was not required. I even joined a MuAlphaTheta which is a mathematics honors society where we did small math competitions. Math is like a puzzle. No matter how big your problems, they can always be broken into smaller pieces that are easier to put together to find the big picture answer. I was able to manage my own club along with studying for the AP exams by coming in for tutoring after class or during lunch. Learning anything, especially math, is so much more fun when you're learning it with others and having fun with it. That’s how I managed.

2. Although I have not taken any mathematics classes in college yet, it has helped me alot with my critical thinking skills. Math is not just about numbers, it's about finding solutions to problems and thinking critically. I had to do that in my logic class this semester which was really fun and made me think a lot. Because of all the math I did, I was able to use it in my astronomy class to solve physics problems. Math was very useful for me throughout my college experience.

3. Whatever you do, never cheat on any test or assignments. Learn to study while you're in high school, so that when you enter college you can focus more on learning that on getting good grades. You need to learn your own way of studying and to build your study habits while you still have time. Why not do it with math. Math is a straight forward subject. You just need to understand concepts and remember formulas and you’ll get the answer right. So you can spend less time thinking about creating your own answer or thinking about which is the best answer like in humanities. That way you can focus more on how you absorb the math concepts better and how to create your own study habits to get better at math. These skills will help you to see your full potential at anything you want to study or achieve.