Cold Lake student earns spot at prestigious Lloyd Auckland Invitational Workshop
Wang, known as Eddie to his friends, has long dreamt of attending the University of Waterloo, particularly for its renowned computer science program.
“I felt great because I've been looking into the University of Waterloo and their programs, and their computer science program is one of the best in Canada, so that's the one I kind of want to get into,” Wang shared.
According to information from the Lakeland Catholic School Division, the workshop, which is running from June 2 to 8, will bring together some of Canada’s brightest students for intensive sessions in mathematics. Wang secured his spot through the Fermat Mathematics Competition, a challenging contest hosted by the University of Waterloo.
Describing the competition, Wang said, “It's for Grade 11 and... It's 25 questions and they get more difficult. The first 10 are easy and then the next 10 are a little harder and the last five are so hard that only about 10 per cent of people can get them right.”
Reflecting on his preparation strategy, Wang noted, “Each question is worth a different amount, because the harder questions are worth more. So, I tried to do as many of the easy questions as possible and then tackled the hard ones to get a high mark.”
Wang has a passion for math.
“It's my favourite subject in school. It's always something that I've been good at.”
In addition to his academic prowess, Wang enjoys music and coding in his free time.
“I play piano, I play saxophone, and I do a little bit of coding in my free time and some games with my friends,” he said.
Looking to the future, Wang’s goals are straightforward: “Just go to university and get a job and have a good life. I'm interested in computer engineering and AI technology. I'm not sure whether it's a career or not for me, but I'm interested in it for sure.”
Wang also shared some advice for aspiring students, saying, “Don't stop trying, don't stop working. It's definitely hard to do, but with any effort, you could definitely get it. I think that anyone could possibly do this if they study hard enough on the tests and prepare.”
Grateful for the support he’s received, Wang said, “I definitely want to thank my father and my previous math teachers.”
Assumption Jr/Sr High School Principal Elaine Ernst expressed her pride in Edison’s achievement.
“We are thrilled for Edison and this opportunity to participate in the Waterloo University Mathematics Workshop. Edison works hard to continually improve his mathematics skills and is well-deserving of this recognition. Being one of only 70 students from across the country chosen to participate is a remarkable achievement and we are very proud of Edison. We know he will be an amazing representative of our school and community, and we can’t wait to see what he does in the future.”
Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week
