David Edorh, 2023 pilot cohort
While most Minnesotan fifth graders are trying to memorize the state capitals, David Edorh is busy inventing a new language—complete with its own grammar rules, pronunciation guide, and vocabulary.
“It’s kind of like English,” he explains, “but also completely different.” He’s drafted example sentences, mapped out parts of speech, and even started building a textbook. He hasn’t taught it to anyone yet—he’s still refining the pronunciation—but that’s David in a nutshell: imaginative, curious, and endlessly self-motivated.
This kind of creative energy shows up everywhere in David’s life. Last year, he took first place among fifth graders in the Math Masters national competition. He plays clarinet and has strong opinions about orchestral balance (“trumpets get the melody [parts] too much”). He works steadily on puzzles in Beast Academy—including one that stumped him for over two years.
David’s natural talents have always been clear. But finding the right place for them hasn’t always been easy.
“In regular school,” he explains, “99% of the time, other kids don’t understand what I’m talking about.” Through National Math Stars, however, David found something that he says feels like ‘relief’: a group of peers who think like he does. “It’s like I’d been holding in my thoughts,” he says, “and then suddenly, I could say them out loud.”
David’s father, Alex, first noticed his son’s exceptional abilities during the early days of the pandemic. At just five years old, David had already memorized the multiplication table up to 12s, and began playing simple songs on the piano by ear.
Back in school, in second grade, David’s teachers took notice of his rare abilities and his unique thirst for learning. One provided extra math problems after class. Another introduced him to Beast Academy, where he quickly completed the second-, third-, fourth-, and most of the fifth-grade math curricula—all before the end of third grade. Eventually, his school connected him to Art of Problem Solving (AoPS), and through that, he found his way into the National Math Stars pilot program.
For David, NMS has been a source of connection, mentorship, and opportunity. He has participated in Epsilon Camp, a selective summer experience for mathematically gifted students. His NMS advisor, Ambika Dani, helps his school district tailor coursework to meet his level, and every semester includes meetings with teachers, district staff, and NMS to plan David’s academic path.
“He’s the kind of student who surprises me every time we talk,” says Ambika. “This year, his school allowed him to take the AMC 8 and AP Physics—things they’d never offered to a student as young as David. And it happened because David showed he could handle it, and because we were there to advocate for him.”
The support has made a difference. “At school, he didn’t have anyone to talk to,” Alex explains. “Now, he has a group of kids who understand him—and that’s changed everything.”
David’s interests extend far beyond math. He creates puzzles, builds rainbow-colored command structures in Minecraft, and explores the rhythm-based world of Geometry Dash. He’s designed a full vocabulary system for his invented language, complete with rules for syntax and grammar. He even plans to write a translation guide.
He’s also building friendships—often through shared interests like coding, games, and music. “I’ve learned a lot socially,” he says. “Now I have friends who like the same things I do.”
David Edorh is the kind of student who doesn’t just solve problems—he creates new worlds. “He dives so deeply into mathematics just for pure joy,” explains Ambika. “One question sparks twenty others, and he follows those threads because he loves it.”
As to whatever comes next: “He’s ready for it,” she adds. “Now we want to help him build a portfolio and see just how far his ideas can take him.”
