On April 6, Jefferson’s Science Olympiad team competed and won first place at States held at the University of Virginia.
“This year everyone has been really dedicated and really focused. It was all worth it for the reward,” president and senior Jaiden Khemani said.
The win at States boosted the team’s confidence and has them feeling excited for the upcoming National event in May.
“Usually only one team gets to go to Nationals, but this year we have two going. The atmosphere there is much more competitive and higher stakes, but we all still try to have fun,” Khemani said.
According to junior Nikhil Das, this year’s event had the team feeling closer to each other than ever.
“For one event I was partnered with another junior and we had really equal contributions and taught each other a lot. Then for another I was partnered with a freshman and I was taking a leadership role in that scenario, so it’s like you get to learn how to work with a lot of different people,” Das said.
The win at States wasn’t possible without countless hours of preparation. The club meets every Thursday after school, but much more than one day a week’s worth of time went into the projects.
“Especially over breaks they put in so much work, like spring break. I know they were staying up well into the night and then staying after school multiple days in a row. Sometimes those meetings weren’t the most productive work-wise, but it’s also just about talking and socializing with other people in your team,” Das said.
Although the commitment is heavy, the Science Olympiad members emphasized that anyone, with the proper dedication, can join the Science Olympiad team.
“Science Olympiad has a huge emphasis on being across all the grade levels,” said Das. “We have pretty much the same number of freshmen on our state’s team as we do for seniors and juniors. It’s really just about your ability to work with other people. That’s what made it special for me.”
