Last Tuesday, senior Bailey Brennen found herself the median of attention in Mr. Eicher’s third period Stats class. She had placed 2nd at the UCSD Honors Stats competition—a victory never beheld unto her, as she was occupied at a robotics tournament at the time of announcements—but, as class began with a conspicuous Mr. Shields and Mrs. Lieber, suspicions rose exponentially.

Eicher presented her awards in front of the class: a certificate of achievement, an undisclosed cash prize, and a decimating $130 calculator.

“I was really surprised,” Brennen said, “‘cause I know I’m competing with people from Torrey Pines and the giants of the academic community here in San Diego…I wasn’t really expecting…to get the award.”

Regardless of this, the senior still felt “really good about how I did”: She “was doing really well in [AP Statistics], so I reviewed some of the basic material and learned more about some concepts like probability.”

Her mathematical passions originate from a function of appreciation. “It’s just interesting to analyze data and see how it works together. You may discover trends you might have never thought existed in the first place.”

While scatter plots and deviations may surprise the investigator, Brennen’s success can be anticipated well into the future of her academic career.