Derek Mendez, 2023 pilot cohort

At just nine years old, Derek is already learning math at a seventh-grade level and dreaming up fire-spewing robots. A fourth grader from Kissimmee, Florida, he skipped second grade and continues to accelerate in math, thanks to a powerful combination of personal drive, a supportive family, and (of course) the guidance and resources he gets from National Math Stars.

Derek’s love of learning surfaced early – very early. His reading journey started before his second birthday. “He wasn’t even two yet,” says his mother, Herny, as she recalls Derek’s early ability to read signs while looking out the window from his car seat. Soon after, he was reciting multiplication tables, singing math songs from the show Numberblocks, and racing through workbooks late at night.

Today, Derek is an avid coder, reader, and baseball player. He’s as comfortable discussing logic puzzles as he is diving for grounders at shortstop (just like his namesake, Derek Jeter, his dad Luis notes). At school, he spends most of his day with fourth-grade classmates, but when it’s time for math, he logs in to a virtual platform for seventh-grade coursework. He works independently while his classroom teacher continues with the grade-level teaching. “The school teachers aren’t certified for middle school math,” Herny explains. “So he’s really on his own.”

That’s where National Math Stars makes a crucial difference. Through NMS, Derek receives regular mentorship and one-on-one tutoring, helping him exceed the limitations  of the traditional classroom experience. “His tutor really makes him work for it,” Luis notes.

Derek is also a budding roboticist with a vivid imagination and a soft spot for the show BattleBots, where inventors go head-to-head building machines for robotic combat. “When I was younger, I loved watching them,” he says. “I designed one in my head shaped like a wedge of cheese – with fire!” This summer, he’ll bring some of those ideas to life at iD Tech’s robotics camp and Northwestern’s invention camp through the Center for Talent Development. Both experiences have been made possible by National Math Stars, adds Luis.

While Derek’s natural abilities make advanced learning easy, actually getting an education that matches his aptitude has been hard. Derek’s parents knew early on that their son needed more, but getting his school to agree was another matter. While “every teacher said he should be accelerated,” recalls Herny, school administrators repeatedly told them: “We don’t skip grades here.”  

It wasn’t until Derek joined National Math Stars that things began to change. “The program gave us data. Real evidence,” explains Luis. With support from NMS advisors, they made a case using side-by-side academic benchmarks that clearly showed Derek had already mastered multiple grade levels. Soon after, he was – finally – skipped a grade and allowed to take even more advanced math studies. Soon thereafter, Derek earned placement at an IB (International Baccalaureate) elementary school that embraces a global curriculum.

The adjustment to being younger than his classmates didn’t faze Derek. “I have older siblings,” he says with a shrug. “I’m used to being the youngest.” Now he hardly notices the age difference. “I feel like I fit in.”

Beyond academics, National Math Stars has offered Derek and his family a much-needed sense of community. At Welcome Weekend, he met kids who shared his interests and advanced abilities, some of whom had skipped grades just like him. “The puzzles were harder, and the chess games were better,” he recalls with a grin. For his parents, meeting other families who are navigating similar paths was just as meaningful. “We’ve learned so much from them,” they say. “It opened up our horizon. We realized: this is just the beginning.”

At home, Derek is always reading. Most recently, he’s been entranced by the Wings of Fire series and City Spies. He also recommends the Framed collection. “He reads all the time,” his parents say. “That’s just who he is.”

As Derek looks ahead, he hopes to finish middle school math before starting middle school itself. With his work ethic, curiosity, and the continued support of National Math Stars, that goal is well within reach. As for building fire-breathing robots, that will have to wait until summer.