From alternate to MathCourt champ

CNMI MathCourt individual champion Bei Bei Chen, left, joins fellow Agape Christian School students Claire Song and Allan Zhao for a group photo. The three are members of Team CNMI that is set to compete in this year’s Nationals in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jon Perez)

Bei Bei Chen was just aiming to earn a spot on the CNMI MathCourt team that would go to this year’s Nationals in Missouri so she could fulfill her childhood dream of setting foot in the United States.

That’s why the Agape Christian School senior, who was one of the six alternates last year, got the surprise of her life when her name was announced as the individual champion after last Saturday’s CNMI state finals at the Saipan Southern High School.

Chen, along with fellow ACS students Claire Song and Allan Zhao, are members of Team CNMI. Marianas High School’s B. Masrur Alam and Saipan International School 11th graders Myung Jae Cho and Jaehoon Jang would join them in the Nationals to be held on May 13 at the Brookside Charter School in Kansas City.

“I was really aiming for at least number six on the team that would go to Kansas City. We were a bit frustrated after we failed to place in the team event and I was already losing hope when Allan and Claire’s names were called. I was shocked when they called my name as the winner,” said the 17-year-old Chen.

Chen won the individual gold with Alam settling for the silver with Song claiming the bronze. Zhao came in fourth with Cho and Chang rounding up the Top 6.

The seventh to 12th placers were the alternates, three of which—En Jie Hu, Andrea Feng and Rebecca Xu—are also from Agape.

Chen and her schoolmates were among the more than 200 CNMI private and public high school students that competed in the MathCourt. From 200, the list was trimmed to 60 where the Top 22 went to the CNMI state finals.

“I give all glory and thanks to God. I am very excited for this trip since it has been my dream to go to the states,” added Song, who was the overall middle school champion the first time she joined.

Chen, who will turn 18 on June 1, has a grade point average of 3.91 and she is set to graduate this year. She has already sent applications to a number of colleges and universities in the mainland. “I will take up political science as my undergraduate degree, which would be my pre-law. I want to become a lawyer.”

She has also started a Mathematics organization at ACS where she is the president with Song as secretary. Their group’s goal is to teach elementary and middle school students on how to enjoy and learn more about Math.

“We’ve been teaching elementary and middle school students since November. The tutoring program is our way of thanking and giving back to the community,” added Chen.

ACS Math teacher Frederick Guintu is their coach. He was also the coach of their elementary school students that went to the Nationals in their division twice.

“We’ve been to the elementary division nationals twice and I’ve been wanting my high school students to experience the same. Now Chen is going to the mainland before she graduates,” said Guintu.

The CNMI MathCourt team will start its practice on Saturday, Jan. 23, with Manny Borja as the overall coach.