Palo Alto High prize-winner hooked on the 'elegance' of mathematics Schools & Kids, posted by Editor, Palo Alto Online, on Mar 31, 2010 at 2:22 pm
It has been a season of rewards for Palo Alto High School senior Lynnelle Ye. Ye's passion for the "elegance" of mathematics -- discovered in childhood and nurtured by her grandmother, her parents and various Palo Alto teachers -- has earned her top rankings this year in two of the nation's most rigorous academic competitions.
Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 1:27 PM
Posted by Walter_E_Wallis, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 31, 2010 at 2:55 pm Walter_E_Wallis is a member (registered user) of Palo Alto Online
Please, Miss Ye, don't overlook a career in industry. Academia will let you drift on your laurels, as Einstein and Ehrlich demonstrated. In industry it is a continuing challenge, and the accolades are tangible. Someone has to stay ahead of the Crays.
Posted by parent, a resident of the Midtown neighborhood, on Mar 31, 2010 at 5:12 pm
"That's really important. It would be really unfortunate if we tried to solve the problem of undue stress by taking away opportunity."
Well said. I hope the administration is listening to you. I went to one of those terrible high schools where they had taken away opportunities as an inappropriate response to "stress" -- let me tell you, lack of opportunity, poor education, and boredom in school are stressful, too, especially for motivated students like Ms. Ye.
Posted by Paly Student, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Mar 31, 2010 at 8:36 pm
@Jorge,
I just want to point out that virtually all of your comments are either ludicrous or unequivocally false.
[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.] The reason that Lynnelle got to work with MIT graduates is because she qualified for the Research Science Institute (as the article points out). If you did not know, RSI is a summer program which selects 50 of the brightest high school students in the nation to do research at MIT with graduate students. Lynnelle is a an extremely "smart" person (regardless of how you define the word)and is truly passionate about mathematics. She isn't the "Typical asian" (as you stereotypically point out) who simply gets good grades because she studies hard. She loves mathematics and has devoted her life to studying it.
Unlike many other students who simply take classes to inflate their GPAs, Lynnelle is taking only five classes this year so she can devote her time to subjects that truly matter to her.
[Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
You also point out that this is the "Typical Palo Altan news article". I have to disagree with you once more. The Palo Alto Online reports very little about math and science compared to sports and art. The reason the Palo Alto Online is profiling Lynnelle is because she is an exceptional student that Palo Alto (and even the entire country) rarely see. Not only did she place well at Siemens, but she also was second at Siemens: a feat that is rarely accomplished. She was also the highest scorer in the United States at the Asian Pacific Math Olympiad, qualified for MOSP three years in a row, attended RSI, got perfect SATs, placed second at the Math Prize for Girls competition, is taking advanced math at Stanford, was among the highest female AMC scores in the country, etc....
No one else, in the entire country, this past year, has been this accomplished in the field of mathematics. It is therefore not surprising that people are congratulating her.
Last but not least, I must disagree with your last comment.
"Prime example of whats wrong with Palo Alto. If you're not Lynelle, you feel bad about yourself.:
I honestly do not see how her success is an example of what is wrong with Palo Alto. At Palo Alto High Schoool, people do not feel bad if they are not Lynnelle. There people who are exceptional at science, break national records in track and swimming, publish books, place first at State Debate Tournaments, appear on TV shows for exceptional musical compositions, have played with the New York Philharmonic, etc... People are not pressured to be just like Lynnelle. [Portion removed by Palo Alto Online staff.]
Posted by Mather, a resident of the Barron Park neighborhood, on Apr 1, 2010 at 7:50 am
Good for her. I hope that her hard work and dedication to her passion inspires other students to do the same. It's so tempting to take the easy route when you are young - to let your education fall behind other things that seem "more fun" and "less stressful." But in this world, and especially in this economy, you either work your butt off to gain the skills needed to become a valuable asset to an employer, or you end up working for the people that are. Lynelle has more control over her destiny now and I applaud her!
Posted by Steve C, a resident of Menlo Park, on Apr 2, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Math is power, if only because if you suffer from math anxiety, you are weaker. Great to see a kid who can excel in academics and maintain a balanced perspective as well. Live your passions! Congrats.
Posted by troyfan, a resident of another community, on Nov 8, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Lynnelle, if i would marry someone, it would be youuuuu! This is superb that you won both Intel and Siemens. Very much congratulations on you superb achievements, and you are going to be a Field's Medal winner in future and I am sure about that. Good Job gogogogogogog girl
Posted by Resident, a resident of another community, on Nov 5, 2012 at 5:04 pm
"In terms of balancing her math passions with her friendships and other interests, Ye said, 'I think I've managed to balance my life in a way I feel comfortable with.'"
Whoa... Great job at succeeding at this! Also, great work in math!
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