Values built on passion and resilience

Recently, the #HomeOfTheEagles continued to make their mark on international academic and creative platforms with outstanding achievements at the “My Beloved Ocean” Contest and the American Mathematics Olympiad (AMO), affirming the PennSchool community’s academic excellence, creativity, and strong spirit of taking on challenges.

Spreading a love for the ocean at the “My Beloved Ocean” contest

At the International Children’s Environmental Drawing Contest “My Beloved Ocean”, three PennSchool students excellently won the Ocean Lover Award with emotionally rich and creative artworks that carried powerful messages about protecting the marine environment.

“I felt very happy and excited when I won an art competition called “My Beloved Ocean”. When my teacher told me the good news, I was very surprised. My heart was beating fast, and I smiled the whole time. I felt proud of myself.

For the competition, I drew a picture of a fish inside a shell. I chose bright colors because I wanted my drawing to look beautiful and lively. I spent a lot of time drawing and coloring carefully. While I was working, I imagined the ocean and how amazing it is. When I received the prize, my friends clapped and congratulated me. I felt thankful to my teacher for helping me and to my parents for supporting me. Winning this competition made me love drawing even more. It was a very special moment that I will always remember.” – That was the overwhelming emotion felt by Nguyen Vu Thien An upon learning that he had won an award in the competition.

For Vuu Kien Long Erick, the journey of choosing a theme, creating his artwork, and successfully receiving an award became a powerful source of motivation that continues to nurture his passion for art. “Winning the award made me feel happy and appreciated. It was nice to see my work recognized, and it encouraged me to keep working on my art. While I was making this drawing, I wanted to remind people that the ocean is beautiful and should not be trashed. The artwork shows my appreciation for nature and encourages others to respect and protect the ocean. During the competition, I learned to manage my time better, trust my “stickman” idea, and be more confident when being creative. With effort and creativity, I created a drawing featuring my stickman that also shows my appreciation for the ocean.”

As for Nguyen Do Hong Minh, his greatest inspiration came from family trips to the beach and the special support of his father. “When I started my artwork, I never thought that I would earn a prize. I was wrong. I cannot believe I actually placed in the Ocean Lover. I just didn’t know that I could possibly receive this honor. I would like to thank my dad for making this happen. He bought the colors for me, and they are one of the most important parts of my artwork. They represent the ocean and its beauty – what it looks like when I think about the sea. My artwork was inspired by my trips to the beach and, of course, the theme. I remember when I was about seven years old, I went on a trip to Phu Quoc Island, and the coral reefs there were amazing. I immediately thought of that place the moment I heard about the theme.

I joined the contest because I just wanted to see if my work would lead to anything. I didn’t exactly try my very best on that artwork because I thought there were many other contestants who could draw better, and I really just saw it as an experiment. A few days later, on a boring Wednesday at school, I double-checked the letter and realized that I had been chosen as a possible winner. That’s when I understood that the painting could actually earn me a prize and an honor. When the results were announced, my name appeared on the Ocean Lover winners list. I don’t know how I did it, but I did.”

Conquering thinking challenges at the American Mathematics Olympiad (AMO)

Alongside their achievements in the arts, #HomeOfTheEagles also brought pride to the PennSchool community by earning 2 Bronze Medals and 8 Honorable Mentions at the American Mathematics Olympiad (AMO) – an international mathematics competition that demands strong logical thinking and flexible problem-solving skills.

With a solid foundation in mathematics, Tran Vo Song Anh shared about his journey: “I am so happy to have won a Bronze Medal in the AMO! It was a pretty wild experience because most of the things I studied weren’t even on the test. For a lot of the questions, I didn’t know the exact steps to solve them, so I just looked at the numbers and tried to find a pattern. I started adding, subtracting, and multiplying them in different ways until the numbers seemed to relate to each other, and then I wrote my answers down. I honestly thought I was just guessing, so when I found out I actually won, I was completely shocked and excited!”

As the second female student to win a Bronze Medal, participating in the competition helped Nguyen Tue My gain many valuable lessons. “In addition to aiming for a medal, preparing for the American Mathematics Olympiad (AMO) taught me how to think more deeply and persevere through challenges. Many problems initially seemed strange and daunting. I spent hours getting questions wrong, reviewing ideas again, and learning to stay calm when I didn’t see an answer right away. Over time, I came to understand that developing patience, logical reasoning, and the bravery to keep trying even when I felt stuck were more important than memorizing formulas. 

For me, winning a Bronze Medal was meaningful because it showed perseverance and growth rather than perfection. Through this process, I learned how to trust my judgment, manage time under pressure, and break down complicated problems.

These skills are helpful in any academic field and go well beyond mathematics. No matter your level of experience, I would encourage anyone interested in problem-solving to try competitions like AMO. It doesn’t matter if you’re a “math genius” or not; what matters is that you’re willing to push yourself. Even if you don’t win the top prize, the experience helps build resilience, confidence, and a stronger way of thinking. Sometimes, discovering your potential through perseverance is the greatest reward of all.”

The achievements in these competitions clearly reflect PennSchool’s educational philosophy, which creates opportunities for students to develop holistically, confidently express themselves, embrace challenges, and continuously explore their own potential. Every competition and every experience contributes to helping #HomeOfTheEagles grow stronger and become ready to conquer new journeys ahead.