A long-time homeschooler, Shiva started taking IMACS online courses at age 10 with the Elements of Mathematics: Foundations program. He went on to complete University Computer Science I and II , AP Computer Science A and Advanced Topics , and Logic for Mathematics I and II . Shiva scored a perfect 800 on the math section of the SAT at only 11 years old. More recently, he scored 36 on the ACT and was named a National Merit Finalist from California.
In the world of competitive computer programming, Shiva is an international superstar. His ratings are in the top 0.1% on Leetcode and in the top 0.3% on Codeforces, where he has earned the rank of International Master. Shiva is also a Platinum level competitor — the most difficult level — at the USA Computing Olympiad.
In qualifying for the USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad in 9th grade, winning the 2019 JV National History Bee, designing a computer science curriculum from scratch while teaching competitive programming to secondary school students, and publishing graph theory research with an MIT professor, Shiva has proven his passion for knowledge and a deep desire to expand its boundaries.
From among several excellent choices, Shiva has elected to go to Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science where he plans to specialize in algorithm design and efficiency and ultimately pursue a career in software engineering.
Here is what Shiva said about how IMACS helped him appreciate the beauty in math, computer science and beyond:
IMACS fundamentally changed the way I view problem solving by hardwiring my brain to constantly search for patterns, connect new challenges to existing concepts, and rigorously prove the correctness of my results rather than taking things at face value. This way of thinking has helped me appreciate the intricate beauty inherent in mathematics, computer science, and beyond.
Congratulations, Shiva!