“Jon has always enjoyed geography, and his interest is paying off,” Watts Principal Brian Miller said. “It’s the same with Shivam. He loves math, and is a very positive student.”
Shivam Sarodia
Shivam’s math skills earned him an all-expense paid trip to Washington to compete in the 2011 Raytheon MathCounts National Competition.
He will be one of four middle school Mathletes from Ohio, including two from the Cleveland area and one from Columbus, among the 224 students who will compete.
Shivam said he is excited to go to the competition and meet other students who are as interested in math as he.
“I have already done better than I expected, so there isn’t a lot to be nervous about,” said the Washington Twp. resident.
The 13-year-old said he enjoys using math as a tool for discovery.
“I love to understand the logic behind the equations and the methods I am taught to use,” he said. “To me, math problems are like mysteries, waiting to be solved.”
Elite Sarodia, Shivam’s mother and Mathletes coach, said the MathCounts competition is like a spelling bee, but about math.
“They started with about 100,000 students across the U.S.,” said Sarodia, noting that students can compete on teams and individually.
Shivam said he likes to play chess and tennis, compete in the Science Olympiad and spend time with his friends.
He added that he also likes science, particularly physics, as much as he does math.
“He goes to Wright State University and learns how to design airplanes,” his mother said. “He wants to be an aeronautical engineer.”
Shivam added: “I am fascinated by how easily such large and heavy aircraft can fly, suspended by just air.”
Shivam is the only child of Dr. Bipin and Elite Sarodia.
Jon Nielsen
Like Shivam, Jon has survived multiple rounds of competition to arrive at his current level of success.
He won the Geography Bee at the classroom level, won a competition among the middle school pods, and scored highly on a state-qualifying test to earn his spot at the state bee.
The 14-year-old said he has always been interested in different cultures and the geography of the world.
“(I like) connecting it to the world around me and seeing how it affects different cultures and traditions, and people in different regions,” said Jon, whose family lives in Washington Twp.
He said he has enjoyed the geography bees because the competitors shared his interest in geography.
His mother, Janice Nielsen, said Jon also enjoys camping and the outdoors, and plays football, basketball and baseball — as well as piano.
“That’s the one thing I’m most proud of,” she said, “that he’s so well-rounded.”
Jon, who is the oldest of four children of Janice and Randy Nielsen, said he would like to be an environmental scientist when he grows up.
He said what appeals to him is how organisms interact and coexist in the environment.
“I enjoy being outside and doing hands-on work in the field,” the eighth-grader said. “I like learning about the pressures put on the environment, and I would like to help protect the environment in the future.”
The winner of the state bee will advance to the national competition, which will be May 24-25 at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington.
Miller said the school is always excited when the students excel and have successes such as these.
“They both very much deserve (the honors),” Miller said. “They are two very good students.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7325 or jikelley@DaytonDaily News.com.
About the Author