Introduction and Passions
Meet Issam Wang, a Grade 12 student from Manila Science High School. Sam is an international student from Taiwan, but he started studying in the Philippines ever since 1st Grade.
His hobbies include watching mysteries on Buzzfeed Unsolved and comedies such as the Big Bang Theory, and playing Sudoku, Mario Kart, Super Mario Bros, and more!
SHS Experience
Aside from Manila Science High School (MaSci) being in an ideal location for Sam, he and his mother knew that applying there with a specialized science curriculum can further develop his knowledge in STEM. According to Sam, his interest in Math and Science began when:
In elementary school, there [was] this thing called the “divisibility rules.” I didn’t know why it [worked] back then, but I was amazed by the fact that it actually [worked]. I remember another instance when my science teacher asked the class: what is the hottest planet in the solar system? Knowing that Mercury is the closest planet to the sun, I answered with full confidence that it was Mercury, but I was wrong—it was Venus. After each of these two events, I asked my teacher: “Sir, why the divisibility rules hold, and why is Venus the hottest planet in the solar system?” At that point, I found that Math and Science are very interesting subjects; it makes you think and analyze. If you’re curious about what’s the answer to the question I asked my teacher, then you might want to start digging for clues to answer your question. And that’s why I decided to study in a science high school and ultimately pursue the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) course.
Additionally, Sam recognizes MaSci as a high school with a good foundation for aspiring researchers.
In relation to this, there are also very supportive teachers—including an influential teacher, Ms. Diana Grace Aniban, who provided the support and motivation he needed to start his journey in the field of mathematics.
Apart from the teachers, you can also be surrounded by like-minded peers who are passionate about STEM.
STEM Idols
Generally, he admires statisticians the most. Their contributions, especially during the pandemic, are deemed important as they help provide answers to trends in graphs (i.e. the coronavirus spread in the local community), and they can give accurate predictions (i.e. number of days it take for the number of COVID-19 cases to drop below 1000).
Sam would also like to thank his Statistics teacher, Mrs. Dulce Villafuerte, for guiding to develop his passion in Statistics.
Sam was invited to the 1st Philippine Data Festival held at the Peninsula Manila where the field of data science was first introduced to him. Even after the event, he always remembered one powerful statement quoted by one of the speakers during the said event:
Science is indeed a very interesting subject, but our knowledge of Science would be infinitely minuscule if it wasn’t for the existence of Math.
Goals and Advice
Inspired by his hobbies of watching mysteries, Sam would also want to apply this in STEM by providing a counterexample to a claimed fact. He dreams of solving a long-unresolved question in the field of STEM!
For Sam, he believes that:
Math and Science are great apparatuses that will definitely help the world answer so many unanswered questions. Someone was able to answer why the divisibility rules hold; someone was able to prove that the hottest planet in the solar system is Venus. You might be the one who can find the answer to climate change; you might be the one who can find a link to the novel coronavirus. Throughout my high school years, my love for Math and Science never faded nor ceased. Because of it, I discovered the infinite possibilities that Math and Science provide me, and I promise that you will, too.
Aside from that, he would also want to share that STEM is challenging at first, but students should know that they are not alone. Nobody will be the best the first time they encounter a new topic, so he always tells himself that: ask if you do not know.
STEM topics may be complex at first, but through critical analysis and the understanding from a student who is willing to learn, I believe that anything sophisticated will just be a piece of cake.
Mitsa Tutoring 