Whiz Kid: Hirsh Jain is a Math Master That Breaks the Mold

Patch features students doing amazing things in their schools and in their communities. This week's Whiz Kid is a competitive mathematician who is just as comfortable debating in public as when he's crunching numbers.

Hirsh Jain

School: International Academy 
Age: 16
Hometown: West Bloomfield

Achievement: Hirsh Jain first earned consideration as one of the brightest math students in Michigan during the summer of his freshman year and has not disappointed since. He is consistently among the 65 students nationally to attend the prestigious Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS) in Boston, and won the Michigan winner of American Math Competitions (AMC) multiple times. Earlier this year, he qualified for the United States of America Math Olympiad (USAMO) by winning the American Invitational Mathematics Examination, and was also named a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist.

What makes him successful?: Hirsh's mother, Ashoka, said he showed an affinity for numbers at a young age that was fostered by teachers at the Brookfield Academy and the Magnet program at Roosevelt Elementary School in Keego Harbor. "He later joined ICAE, a weekend math school which honed his problem solving skills and instilled in him a love for competition math," she wrote Bloomfield Patch.

What's Next?: Hirsh is focused on his senior year in the International Baccalaureate program and in the college application process. Though currently undecided, Hirsh visited MIT, Harvard and Princeton last year, and plans to visit Stanford later this month. Wherever he lands, he will continue to study fundamental math and then specialize in one field where he can apply this fundamental knowledge for the greater good of society.

Do you know our next Whiz Kid?

West Bloomfield Patch welcomes suggestions for students, youth groups and even sports teams who wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to editor Tim.Rath@patch.com. Please include all these details:

• Nominator's name
• Whiz Kid's name and age
• Whiz Kid's school
• Whiz Kid's accomplishment
• What makes him or her successful