In a historic achievement, Faith Odunsi, beat competitors from around the world, including China, the UK, and the US, to win the Global Open Mathematics competition in 2021 at age 15. As the winner, Odunsi secured a $1,000 prize and made history by beating the runner-up with an impressive 30-point margin. She had also previously broken the record in a Cowbell mathematics competition.
In an interview with Punch News, Odunsi revealed that she was not initially interested in participating in the competition. However, she was inspired and motivated by her teacher, who coached her after classes. Despite her busy academic schedule, Odunsi split her reading time and studied late into the night to prepare for the competition.
Odunsi’s success in the Global Open Mathematics tournament is not an isolated accomplishment. She first rose to prominence in 2019 when she participated in the Cowbell mathematics competition, Cowbellpedia. Not only did she win the competition, but she also answered a remarkable 19 mathematics questions in just 60 seconds, a record that remains unbroken to date in the history of the competition.
She has also excelled in other competitions such as the national Olympiad, where she was crowned Queen of Mathematics from JSS3 to SS2, Kangourou Sans Frontieres, South African mathematics Olympiad, American Mathematics Competition, Pan-African mathematics Olympiad, and more. She has also been awarded silver medals in the Pan-African mathematics Olympiad and South African mathematics Olympiad. She had already demonstrated her exceptional skills in the Cambridge examination, where she secured 6 A* and an A.
It’s clear that mathematics is a subject that Faith excels in and is passionate about. She has said that she loves the subject because “once you get the concept, you should be able to know how to solve a problem. It’s basically logical reasoning and using your brain.” In terms of her future career goals, she hopes to become a computer engineer, further cementing Nigeria’s place on the global stage when it comes to technology and innovation.
Africa Giant is showcasing Faith Odunsi’s victory as a means of highlighting the potential of young Africans in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. As a continent, Africa has a wealth of untapped potential, and young people like Odunsi represent the future of innovation and progress.
