Mission, Texas- It is tough to win a state academic championship title. Now imagine winning three; all in one day. One Mission Collegiate High School student has won a coveted State Champ accolade in three categories. Ricky Ochoa had his extraordinary day when he competed in Calculators, Mathematics, and Number Sense at the Texas Math and Science Coaches Association (TMSCA) competition.
“It felt great to win State titles in all three categories after I had been so close to winning in sixth and seventh grades,” states Ochoa. “After four years of trying to get the State Champ title, I finally got it and in all three categories, it was really awesome.”
The love of mathematics began at a young age for him, and it was in elementary when he started with UIL competition. His second-grade year marked the beginning in Number Sense competition for him and in third grade he started with Mathematics. It was not until he was in fifth grade that he decided to add Calculators to the mix.
During his middle school years, the state competitions like TMSCA began for him and it’s where he started competing in three individual events. At this level not only are individual scores important but also team scores because only the top four students on the team get to move on to the next round of competition. This was the moment in which his leadership skills emerged by practicing for the events with the sixth and seventh graders to help motivate them and the team.
“Ever since I was in elementary Math has always been my favorite subject,” states Ochoa. “I understand it plus I get to apply formulas and theorems. Having the opportunity to compete in Math events is exciting and they are all fun to do.”
Ricky has his eyes set on trying to win State titles in all three categories for UIL. They have just recently come back from the UIL Conference 4A District 32 Tournament and he placed first in all three categories. Next up is the Regional Competition and he looks like he is well on his way to making his UIL goal a reality.
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