The first time CVHS senior Anna Oliva truly fell in love with science, she wasn’t in a lab or a classroom. Instead, she was watching “Particle Fever,” a film that followed scientists at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) as they used the world’s largest particle accelerator, the Hadron Collider, to make a groundbreaking discovery: the Higgs boson, a fundamental particle that helps explain why atoms have mass.
For Oliva, watching the brilliant scientists at work left a lasting impression, one that would go on to shape her future passions.
“It inspired me to spend my life answering questions,” Oliva says.
To her, mathematics is more than numbers and formulas; it’s an art form, a way of unraveling the mysteries of the world.
“The beauty of mathematics for me is the creative pursuit of truth,” Oliva explains. “The way proofs can come together by exploring a problem is a bit like unraveling an unwieldy knot.”
This intellectual curiosity is reflected in Oliva’s extracurriculars and accomplishments. Among them, she is particularly proud of her research. She published her first paper on senescent leaf impact on primary productivity in “Hydrobiology,” a peer-reviewed academic journal. She also had the opportunity to present her mathematical billiards research at an undergraduate conference at Texas A&M University.
“That was the culmination of two years of hard work, and I’m so happy with how my projects came together,” Oliva states.
Her research journey, however, didn’t start in a lab; it began with a simple email. She reached out to multiple professors before Dr. Daniel Onofrei from the University of Houston responded, giving her the opportunity to study mathematical billiards.
“The project involves studying a mathematical billiard system in which we have a regular planar polygon and a point-like object moving in straight lines within this polygon with the rule that upon hitting a vertex, it will reflect off with an angle equal to the interior angles of the polygon,” Oliva explains.
Their research was later presented at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).
“For ISEF, I studied the object within a triangle and in a square and presented two theorems regarding its trajectory that I had derived,” Oliva says.
Oliva won the first prize in the Mathematics category at ISEF, earning her financial grants and a full-paid trip to Sweden for the December 2024 Nobel Prize festivities. There, she had the incredible opportunity to present her research and meet laureates from around the world.
“The best part was definitely the people,” Oliva says. “I now have friends spanning continents, and I learned so much about Swedish culture.”
While the experience was academically enriching, it also had its fun moments. Among her new prized possessions is a selfie with physicist Dr. John Hopfield, which she fully intends to get framed.
Beyond academics, Oliva finds joy in creativity. While she spends much of her free time studying, playing with mathematical conjectures and reading. She also enjoys drawing, sculpting, gardening and even sewing.
“When I’m really exhausted, pouring all my attention into making something beautiful always makes me happy,” Oliva reflects.
However, Oliva’s journey through high school hasn’t been without challenges. Balancing a rigorous curriculum with her many interests has tested her endurance time and time again.
“I remember a period of three weeks my junior year where I competed in ISEF and took eight AP exams,” she recalls. “I really just ate, slept and worked.”
Over time, she’s learned an important lesson: hard work is key, but so is relaxation.
“The hardest thing for me has been to accept that I will always have to be disciplined when it comes to work, but that it is equally important to create time to rest and see friends,” Oliva states.
Through her experiences, she has also come to terms with the unpredictability of success.
“A lot of extracurriculars like clubs or competitions involve some measure of subjectivity,” Oliva explains. “For every internship or achievement I’ve attained, there have been at least five others I haven’t. But I’ve learned that it’s more important to know I’ve earned something than to actually attain it.”
Some of Oliva’s most cherished high school memories are tied to the quiet moments in between her busy academic life.
“Seeing the sunrise as I walk to school after getting a coffee, sitting on the swings with friends on a clear day — those little moments remind me how beautiful life is,” she says.
Looking ahead, Oliva plans to major in mathematics and possibly physics. She is eager to dive deeper into the subjects she loves and meet more people who share her passion.
“I can’t wait to learn interesting new theories and be surrounded by amazing people,” she says.
Her future goals remain clear: more research, more learning and more exploration.
“Immediately, the goal is to do more research, publish and learn as much as I can,” Oliva says. “My greatest dream is to do research at the highest possible level and work on the questions that make me the happiest to answer.”
For younger students hoping to follow a similar path, Oliva’s advice is simple: follow your heart.
“Find an area you truly love and pursue it relentlessly, even through seemingly endless failure. It can be easy to compare yourself to upperclassmen or peers who seem to be doing better, but if you dedicate yourself, you will ultimately succeed,” she says.
