Freshman Nathan Kim furthers his passion for math

Freshman Nathan Kim was beyond excited when he won first place at the annual Southern California MATHCOUNTS contest on March 9, 2014. When he entered his first math competition in second grade, he never thought it would lead to him ranking in the top 10 in the nation for math.

Kim is still actively involved in math competitions. Most recently, he participated in the MATHCOUNTS completion held at UC Berkeley on March 15, 2014.

“I won 1st place for Southern California which is huge,” he said. “It’s a lot more competitive than nearly all the other states.”

The reason for this is because the kids in California who participate in these contests are a lot more competitive than those of other states.

​Kim says that math has always come naturally for him as long as he can remember.

“Being good at math turned into some sort of pastime, kind of like a hobby, and after that I got introduced to the math competition world,” he said.

Even though he is naturally gifted, Kim still studies and spends time learning more math.This year, he is taking Calculus BC/AP, which is a twelfth grade math couse.

“When I was first put in higher level math classes with older kids, it was weird,” Kim said. “I got used to it later on and I have made new friends who are upperclassmen so that really helps out.”

“I try to study whenever I have time, which thanks to school and homework, there isn’t a lot,” Kim said. “When I do, I use books and learn things off the internet… there are a lot of math books out there.”

His accomplishments in math have led him to be in a feature article in the Daily Breeze.

“This is something that will help me become a lot more successful in the future… To be able to get into a good college, get a nice job and be more successful in general,” Kim said.