YF: It's very nice. I had so many plans, and finally, I managed to do all of them. First, I went to the IMO as a team guide for the Ukrainian team, which was very nice since all the contestants were my friends from last year. After that, I went on holiday with my friends and sister to Croatia. Then I went to a math camp in Ukraine to give some lectures. I wasn't prepared at all, but I did my best. It was tough, but worth it. Now I’m back home preparing for another lecture in Poland at the Maths Beyond Limits Camp.
YF: I started participating in Olympiads at the end of seventh grade. At the time, math wasn’t my favorite subject—I liked languages more. But when I started solving problems in the Olympiads, I realized how different it was from school math. The problems were unique and exciting, and my results were good, so I decided that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my time in school.
YF: I decided to stop competing in Olympiads and focus on something bigger—university math is very different from Olympiad problems. But this year, I had the chance to participate in the European Girls' Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) again. I didn’t have enough time to prepare, but I still took home a gold medal, which was my best result ever! I realized that the way I approach problems now, as a lecturer, is different from when I was a contestant. I’ve learned so much through teaching.
YF: My favorite memory is from the mathematical camps that were two years ago. At that time, Ukraine couldn’t hold the All-Ukrainian Olympiad because of the invasion. Sponsors organized a travel camp that started in Poland, with lectures from top contestants and lecturers from all over the world. We went to Austria and then France, where we had the best camp in Marseille. In the morning, we had lectures, and in the afternoon, we went to the beach. It was the best combination of math and vacation I could imagine.
YF: My favorite topic has always been geometry. That’s what I lecture on, and it's the subject I enjoyed most when I was competing. Geometry is different from other topics because it's more creative—you’re working with a picture, and you can manipulate it in your head. Even if you go in the wrong direction, you can use what you’ve done and make something out of it. It’s not as straightforward as other areas of math, and that’s why I love it.
YF: I’ve been crocheting and knitting since I was eight or nine. My grandma taught me. I crochet mascots for the Ukrainian team; for example, I made a goose named Stefania, which is now our team’s mascot at every Olympiad. I also crocheted mascots for the Ukrainian informatics team. Outside of crocheting, I love sewing and have always wanted to sew traditional Ukrainian clothing.
YF: I’m very, very excited. Cambridge University is different from all the others. When I started studying math, I wanted to focus on math only, and at Cambridge, I can do that. I looked at the modules we’ll be studying, and I’m really excited to dive into them. I especially love calculus, but I’m a little worried because I’ve heard it’s very physics-oriented at Cambridge, and I don’t like applied math.
YF: I’ve always dreamed of doing research in math, and I still hope to pursue that, but I’m not sure. It depends on how I feel about university. I’ve also been thinking about possibly going into trading or working in a corporate job. But I don’t want to forget my dream of research—I’ll keep it in mind over the next few years and figure things out from there.
