In science olympiad, sophomore Naveen Badrinath said the main goal is to win competitions through scoring well on tests. The club’s competitive nature drives members to develop skills and habits beyond scientific knowledge to be successful in competitions, Badrinath added.
Following COVID-19, co-president, senior Lucia Liu said there was a lack of organization due to ineffective communication, resulting in less progress.
“I remember half the team didn’t show up to after school practices because it wasn’t enforced by the officers,” Liu said. “When I became an officer the next year, I really tried to communicate [and] stress accountability.”
On a different note, team manager, sophomore Fisher Zheng said science olympiad has positively affected his time management skills.
“With the one-hour practices, I’ve had to squeeze in my studying into one hour because that’s all the time I dedicate to studying,” Zheng said. “I’ve learned to use that one hour of practice where I can actually meet with my teammates wisely.”
Similarly, Liu said her work ethic has improved significantly, and she has learned to work and study by herself outside of the classroom.
“It’s really taught me how to study independently, not just relying on a teacher, but being able to go beyond what I learned in a classroom and try to study on my own,” Liu said.
Through this development and after being exposed to many topics within science olympiad, Liu said she has grown accustomed to stepping outside her comfort zone and trying new topics.
“I got shoved into an event called dynamic planet, [and] I had no clue what it was about,” Liu said. “At first I was like: ‘I don’t want to do this,’ but the more I studied, I was like: ‘This is really interesting.’”
Other than work skills, Zheng said science olympiad has sparked his interest in STEM. Because of the passion he gained through science olympiad, he now looks to pursue a career in science, Zheng added.
“Before science olympiad, I barely knew anything about science,” Zheng said, “After I made it onto the team and [studied] for my events, I’ve learned a lot about what my events were, and that’s just ignited my interest in different topics.”
While science olympiad can be difficult at times, the academic rigor of the club is also rewarding and enjoyable, Liu said.
“I think it’s definitely a lot more fun to learn when you’re doing it with others,” Liu said. “Sometimes we have late night cramp sessions. It’s a little stressful, but it’s a really fun experience.
