CEBU CITY—Cebu’s Science and Math whiz kid, Kiersten Candice Sy did it again by clinching four championships at the Philippine International Math and Science Olympiad (PIMSO) 2025 held at The Manila Hotel, April 4 to April 7, representing the Philippines against contenders from 13 countries including Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and India.
Kiersten, now 17, is a Grade 10 student from Cebu City National Science High School and has carved her name into international acclaim by winning championships in Science and Match since 2021. What started as a childhood curiosity has blossomed into a shining academic journey.
Kiersten began joining contests in Grade 1, stepping onto the international stage by Grade 4. Since then, her pursuit of excellence in Math and Science has been consistent and unwavering, despite the pressure that often comes with competition.
“Whatever challenge you go through, don’t expect it, and don’t pressure yourself into doing something you don’t want to do. Be proud of your achievements—even if you just got a participation award or merit—because at the end of the day, what matters is that YOU reached the stage, YOU got the experience, and no one has the right to compare,” Kiersten encourages aspiring achievers like her.
Her words become powerful reminder that success isn’t just about medals and rankings, but the growth, courage, and resilience behind every step taken. From a little girl in Cebu with big dreams to an internationally recognized academic powerhouse, Kiersten Sy stands as an inspiration for young learners everywhere.
Dr. Catherine Sy, Kiersten’s mom told this writer that Kiersten has already participated in more than 60 math and science competitions organized by different Math and Science organizations in the country and abroad and she has won more than 10 gold, six silver and seven bronze medals and some certificates in 2021.
Kiersten has been competing in Math and Science Olympics since 2021 where she won gold in Science in the August, 2021 PIMSO, National Round; won gold in the Copernicus Natural-Science Global on November 3, 2021; gold in Math at the Siam International Math & Science Olympics on November 10, 2021.
She also won at the International STEM Olympiad in Math on December 15, 2021; Hongkong International Science Olympiad-HEAT Round on Dec. 17, 2021; CREST Olympiad International on March 3, 2022; Copernicus Mathematics on April 30, 2022; Challenge for Future Mathematician 2022 on May 13, 2022; SASMO- Singapore and ASIAN Schools Math Olympiad; and the PIMSO on June 12, 2022.
Kiersten competed under the SIMSO Mathematics Primary 6 category where she also won the gold and is ranked top in the Philippines. She also received a gold medal after she ranked 7th in the Category 1 for Grade 5-6 level in the Copernicus Natural Science Olympiad.
She also received the Department of Education (DepEd) achievement awards and the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) awardee for the Youth Excellence in Science (YES) for two years.
She got gold in Mathematical Olympiad (SEAMO) 2024 competing against 23 regions and more countries; International Champion – East Asian International Math Open 2025 (EAIMO), Middle Grade and International Top 2 – Sino International Science and Mathematics Olympic (SISMO Math).
Kiersten showed interest in mathematics at an early age, around six to seven years old when she started solving math problems. She first competed in the Metrobank-MTAP-DepEd Math Challenge (MMC), an annual mathematics competition aimed at raising the competitiveness of elementary and high school students.
In an exclusive virtual interview with this writer, Kiersten explained that her solving Math problems is just like completing jigsaw puzzles and this fascination drove her to excel in Mathematics. She is a bookworm on anything Science and Math.
“I love to study and solve problems, especially those in math and science. I challenge myself every day to solve problems in math and natural science, which are my favorite subjects. But I also have other interests like drawing and art and I have this fascination to do crafts and small stuff such as making origami,” Kiersten told this writer.
Mom Catherine told this writer that aside from undergoing training before the competitions, Kiersten also includes prayers as part of her preparations. She usually takes care of her siblings on her free time. Even at an early age, Kiersten is a very responsible child even in small things, more so with her studies.
“How do you feel being called a genius?” This writer asked.
“Actually, I could not call myself as a genius,
so many participants are better than me, I won because of discipline, time
management and prayers. I always make time for playing gadgets, online
interactions with my friends from my previous schools and of course doing my
tasks in school,” Kiersten answered.
Kiersten narrated that she used to experience a lot of insecurities before, when she was enrolled in a Chinese private school. She sometime received hate letters and felt that she was bullied. At first, she said she gave in, she would intentionally not answer her test paper to give way to the ranking, but she later realized that was wrong.
“I should love myself and should consider doing what makes me happy. Being an achiever is not a sin, all I want is for my parents to be happy and give back the good things they provide for me. Every moment that I will be sitting on a competition I motivate myself to win, honestly speaking who wouldn’t wish to win?” Kiersten said.
Indeed. This whiz kid is not stopping, this is just the beginning! (Photos: Dr. Catherine Sy)
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