Pharies Hidru, a rising 2nd grader in the Gifted and Talented program at The International Leadership Academy (ILA), is making history as the first Southwest Public Schools (SWPS) student to qualify for the National Math Star entrance exam. To be eligible, students must score in the top 2% nationally on a standardized test, and Pharies did just that on the MAP exam!
The National Math Star program offers a fully funded 10-year journey for exceptional math students, including advanced courses, mentoring, summer camps, and more.
When asked why he loves math, Pharies shared, “Math is fun because you can find the same answer in different ways. I want to be an engineer when I grow up, so I must be good at math.”
Join us in cheering on Pharies as he takes the entrance exam later this summer. We’re confident he’ll make SWPS proud!
To learn more about the International Leadership Academy, visit https://www.swschools.org/o/ila. Learn more about National Math Stars visit https://nationalmathstars.org/