PHILADELPHIA, PA-The 2011/2012 Number One First In Math player in the Nation, all grades, is Josephine Nguyen! Nguyen earned an amazing 49,270 stickers as of April 30, besting her nearest competitor by nearly 2,000 stickers.
Josephine Nguyen and Robert Sun pose with the FIM All Star Award Nguyen received as the 2012 #1 First In Math Player in the Nation, All Grades.
Nguyen, who was only nine when the contest ended in April, is the youngest player to achieve the #1 National rank. The quiet fourth-grader has attended St. William Catholic Elementary School in Philadelphia since Kindergarten. She and many of her classmates will attend St. Cecilia School next year due to the closing of St. William this June.
Nguyen, who shyly admits that her friends and classmates ask her for help when working with decimals and integers, was asked what advice she would give to other students who dream of becoming a top player. "Just try your best," said Nguyen, who is no stranger to hard work. As a second-grader she did not have access to a computer at home, so her father began taking her to libraries to work on FIM. Because the public libraries only allowed a limited number of minutes on their computers, it meant that father and daughter traveled, via city bus, to several libraries on many nights.
This year, as she advanced through the higher levels of the program she was often faced with math problems that she had not yet seen in class. Again, her biggest supporter was by her side. "I was lucky to have my father with me" says Nguyen, explaining that he helped her be patient when new concepts were introduced.
While she was not dedicated to a particular strategy, Nguyen says that she started all of the Skill Sets first in order to open the Bonus Games. She does not have a favorite Bonus Game, but maintains that Just The Facts is her favorite activity.
During a celebratory lunch at the Four Seasons Restaurant in Philadelphia, First In Math creator Robert Sun said "I am amazed at Josephine's focus and dedication." Sun estimates that she spent approximately 400 hours on the site to amass such a large number of stickers. "It's amazing, but she still has open modules to play."
Nguyen is an avid reader, with the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" books being among her favorites. She also plays the piano and she and her friends enjoy weaving strips made of plastic bags into purses-an idea they got from a field trip to the Arthur Ross Museum at the University of Pennsylvania where they saw an exhibit on weaving.
"Josephine is not just a good math student, she does well in all subject areas," says Sister Catherine Clark, IHM, Principal. "We are very, very proud of Josephine and what she has accomplished in the First In Math program this year. She was also busy in school working on a self-portrait, learning about the civil war, and working on a project where the students had to write a letter to a 'friend' from an important person in Pennsylvania history." Nguyen chose Betsy Ross, researched Ross's life and made sure to write in the correct speech of the time period (i.e. thee and thou).
Last year, Nguyen was ranked 4th in the nation and received a FIM All Star award. This year, in addition to another All Star award, she received an Apple iPod Touch, a book, a 24 Game pin and a special 24 Game Anniversary Edition signed by Sun.