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UOG’s 15th Math Day builds confidence, curiosity, and community in Guam’s next generation of STEM professionals

UOG’s 15th Math Day builds confidence, curiosity, and community in Guam’s next generation of STEM professionals

UOG’s 15th Math Day builds confidence, curiosity, and community in Guam’s next generation of STEM professionals


4/23/2026
UOG math majors Archancel Abellera, left, and Johndeo Bulatao bring some energy and fun to the Math Day quiz competition as hosts for the event on March 14, 2026.
Samantha Pezzimenti, an assistant professor of mathematics at Widener University (Penn.), demonstrates how string can create geometric shapes during the lecture portion of UOG’s Math Day on March 14, 2026.
Dr. Maika Vuki, the interim associate dean of UOG’s College of Natural & Applied Sciences, welcomes nearly 80 middle and high school students to UOG’s 15th Math Day event on March 14, 2026.
Caleb Kim, a student from Harvest Christian Academy, works out a math problem in his head while competing at UOG’s Math Day. Kim and his teammate, John Hoh, won first place in the Pre-Calculus and Calculus Category.
Mark Galang, a graduate student in UOG’s M.S. Data Science program, participates as a judge in the 15th Math Day quiz competition.
Professor of Mathematics Hideo Nagahashi tallies the team scores with the judges at UOG’s 15th Math Day on March 14, 2026.
John F. Kennedy High School students Caden-Herman Camacho and Kaiden Chaco collaborate on their answer on a quiz question at UOG Math Day. The team won second place in the Pre-Calculus and Calculus Category.
Ahna An, left, and Rhon Sison from the SIFA Learning Academy Charter School listen carefully to the question in the quiz competition portion of UOG Math Day.
UOG math major Archancel Abellera works on a geometric string art project while listening to the guest lecturer on UOG’s Math Day on March 14, 2026.
UOG Associate Professor of Mathematics Zoltan Szekely works on a geometric string art project while listening to the guest lecturer on UOG’s Math Day on March 14, 2026.
Faculty from UOG’s Division of Math and Computer Science with guest lecturer Samantha Pezzimenti, an assistant professor of mathematics at Widener University (Penn.), after a successful UOG Math Day on March 14, 2026.
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Nearly 80 middle and high school students around the island came to the University of Guam to indulge in a bit of mathematical fun on March 14 — “Pi Day.” It was the 15th UOG Math Day, an event designed to get youth excited about pursuing math courses in college and to give them confidence toward pursuing STEM degrees and careers.

“It’s wonderful to see so many bright and enthusiastic students and their teachers and families here today,” said Maika Vuki, interim associate dean of UOG’s College of Natural & Applied Sciences. “These students — we hope very soon — will be right here studying at UOG. We want STEM to grow on our island. We want students in Guam and in the islands to have a place in science as they move into their future — and math is right at the center of that.”

A woman speaking in a mic and holding a rope tied in a knotUOG Math Day involves a math quiz competition in which students compete in teams to answer timed questions in algebra, geometry, statistics, pre-calculus, and calculus. Then, students get to hear from an inspirational guest speaker.

This year’s guest lecturer was Samantha Pezzimenti, an assistant professor of mathematics at Widener University (Penn.), who brought her love of exploring the visual and artistic side of math to Guam. Her hands-on lecture involved a needle and a piece of string to show how connecting points in different patterns can create various mathematical curves, like parabolas and cardioids.

“We hope that they see math as — not just something challenging and hard, but that they’re not afraid of math and that they leave today feeling like math is cool,” said Leslie Aquino, chair of UOG’s Division of Mathematics and Computer Science.

Math outside the classroom

Two girls laughing with papers and pencils in front of themSome teachers have been bringing their students to Math Day since it first began in 2008.

“It allows them the opportunity to see and do math outside of their classrooms, and it helps them also build self-confidence,” said Floraine San Pablo, a teacher at John F. Kennedy High School. “A lot of them enjoyed the previous years and asked if they could join again.”

Another long-time attendee, Lindsay Hashberger, with her students from Harvest Christian Academy, said the event is beneficial for the students in multiple ways.

“It gives them an opportunity to see who else is in their math community here on island and network and engage with each other,” Hashberger said. “It’s also good for them to be exposed to new ideas in the lecture part — I really appreciate that.”

Previous students who attended UOG Math Day in high school have gone to be accepted into advanced degree programs in math and related subjects in the U.S. mainland. Vuki encouraged the students to consider studying at UOG. He also highlighted UOG’s new master’s degree in Data Science as a potential pathway for students.

Quiz competition winners

Joining in the competition this year were F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School, Harvest Christian Academy, Okkodo High School, John F. Kennedy High School, St. John’s School, Father Dueñas Memorial School, George Washington High School, SIFA Learning Academy, and Tiyan High School.

The winners were as follows:

Category First Place Second Place
Middle School

Tie: 

  • Chanyu Park and Joshua Kwon (HCA)
  • Aiden Oh and Derrick Yan (St. John’s)
 Riley Hwang and Chlorie Lee (St. John’s)
Basic Algebra, Geometry, and Statistics Dante Calvo and Aklie Bevacqua (JFK)
  • Gijun Lee and Bin Jin (HCA)
  • Junnan Chen and Haoming Chen (HCA)
  • Chanyoung Park and Hajin Lee (JFK)
  • Jaewon Choi and Donngeon Kim (St. John’s)
Pre-Calculus and Calculus Caleb Kim and John Hoh (HCA)
  • Kaiden Chaco and Caden-Herman Camacho (JFK)
  • Kristie Kim (JFK)
  • Sujin Oh and Austin Tsai (St. John’s)

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UOG Math Day is supported by a Docliani Mathematics Enrichment Grant from the Mathematical Association of America.