Seven Grade 10 students participated in the annual "Girls in Math at Yale 2025" competition in late February, where they joined hundreds of girls from across the region for a day of mathematical challenges at the university in New Haven. The team included Marilyn Sommerville, Sammi Tillman, Lilah Mehta, Camila Pajares, Avery Murphy, Olivia Ajayi, and Mia Jakubowsky.

The math meet consisted of two rounds: an individual round with 12 problems and a team round, also with 12 problems, each increasing in difficulty. The problems ranged from manageable to challenging Olympiad-level questions. 

Marilyn, Avery, Lilah, Camila, and Sammi returned to Girls in Math at Yale this year with enhanced skills as a result of taking the highest Precalculus course offered at King and participating on the Math Team.

Marilyn credits her enrollment in advanced math classes like Advanced Mathematical Problem Solving and Honors Precalculus BC with helping her approach this year’s problems with a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts.

Competing two years in a row allowed the returning students to recognize their growth as mathematicians. Their improved abilities gave them a clear advantage, enabling them to tackle the competition’s challenges with increased confidence and precision.

“My experience over the past year introduced me to complex problems and new methods not often taught in typical classrooms,” said Marilyn. “When I competed this year at Yale, I found these skills very useful and was able to confidently answer more problems than last year.”

Marilyn credited the competition for exposing her to a range of challenging problems. “It reminded me that there’s still so much to learn,” she said. “In just one year, I’ve gained a better understanding of mathematical concepts and become more confident in my abilities.”

This progress is what the Chair of the Mathematics Department Dr. Victoria Khiznichenko hopes students gain from such challenges. She noted that the students who attended last year found the problems more approachable this time around, a testament to the depth of King’s math program.

“The advanced classes, the Math Team, and competitive opportunities help mold mathematical minds,” she said. “This event was great in that the students recognized that many excellent girl mathematicians are competing. It also provided an opportunity for camaraderie to develop among our team.”

Sammi, who has been taking advanced math classes since attending the event last year, said the match challenged her to think of creative ways to solve problems both independently and collaboratively.

“It taught me how something that may seem complicated can have a simpler solution and how to think through it to find that solution,” she said. “This year, I definitely felt more prepared than last year, but everything was still a lot of fun!” 

Sammi plans to study engineering and sees these competitions as valuable for honing the skills she’ll need for her future career.

“Events like this help me train my mindset to look for out-of-the-box methods to solve problems,” she said. “This is very important when trying to build solutions to solve real-world issues.”

Students also heard from mathematics professionals, gaining a glimpse into the fields of mathematics and computer science beyond the classroom. Through teamwork and perseverance, King’s team enjoyed the event and gained valuable insights into higher mathematics and the power of collaborative problem-solving.