With a Passion for STEM, this Kumon Student is Effecting Change

At 10-years-old, Anvita has a dream of becoming a neurosurgeon. More specifically, she hopes to use artificial intelligence to improve the medical industry as a whole. That’s a big dream for a teenager, but it’s not surprising because she’s always had a passion for STEM and math in general. She fell in love with the Kumon Math Program because it strengthened her mental math skills, allowing her to solve real-world math problems.  

Anvita is part of a robotics team that is currently competing in the First Lego League Competition. The competition includes students, ages 9 to 16, from 80 different countries. Anvita and her team are one qualifying round away from going to the finals. She took time out of her busy schedule to tell us more about the competition and her passion for STEM. 

What is the First Lego League Competition? 

First Lego League challenges kids to think like scientists and engineers. In our competition, we were asked to research a real world problem—we chose water contamination—and were challenged to develop a solution. We also had to design, build and program a robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology. 

What is the benefit of the First Lego League Competition? 

It’s a really cool competition because it’s a fun way to learn and apply science, technology, engineering and math concepts while solving a real-world problem. It really helps you develop critical thinking, team-building and even professional skills.  

How did Kumon impact your deep passion for robotics? 

I love robotics and hope to work with artificial intelligence in the future! For that, I need patience, concentration and dedication. My Kumon Instructor (Sharon Tung) really helped me develop all of these skills. Kumon also helped advance my mental math calculation and deepened my understanding of math and how it relates to the world around me.  

Anvita embodies Kumon’s mission statement—By discovering the potential of each individual and developing his or her ability to the maximum, we aim to foster sound, capable people and thus contribute to the global community.  

It’s safe to say that Anvita is pushing herself to achieve her highest potential and we can’t wait to see how she impacts the world.