MATHCOUNTS is a middle school math competition that I participated in and without a doubt it was one of the best experiences in my life. I made new friends, had a lot of laughs, and found a community where I belonged. When I started high school, I decided I would be a student coach for the school MATHCOUNTS team. I wanted them all to have the same positive experience I had. But there were only 10 students interested and only a handful of coaches. Despite the small numbers, we still tried to teach them as much as we could. Students who loved or struggled with math were all welcome. We’d give them practice problems, lectures on new math topics, and had some friendly competition. Not only did we prepare them for MATHCOUNTS, but we also prepared
