After living in Canada for just 10 months, 15-year-old Jimmy Liu placed fourth out of 12,000 contestants in an international physics competition, despite never having taken a high school physics course.
Liu came to Canada in August 2023 as an international student from China and moved to Oakville to begin his studies. As a Grade 10 student at Holy Trinity, Liu has only taken general science courses, as specialized science courses aren't available until Grade 11.
After hearing about the PhysicsBowl 2024 competition, hosted by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), Liu saw an opportunity to strengthen his resume before applying to post-secondary schools.
The PhysicsBowl Contest is an international high school competition where school teams compete regionally. Students take a 40-question, 45-minute multiple-choice test under their school's supervision.
Having never set foot in a senior-level physics classroom, Liu began downloading online textbooks and teaching himself the subject.
"I think self-learning can leave you with a deeper impression," said Liu in an interview with Oakville News. "When you're stuck with a problem and you're seeking ways to solve it, then after you solve it on your own, you will be more familiar with the concept."
Despite his success, Liu remains humble, stating that he feels "quite lucky" to have ranked so high in the PhysicsBowl 2024 competition.
"I think hard work pays off," said Liu, "I went through almost every past exam on the website."
Liu aspires to be a theoretical physicist and is making the most of his time in high school so he can be a competitive applicant when applying to post-secondary institutions, but it hasn't been an easy process.
"Self-learning itself is very challenging for me, I was learning quantum mechanics using textbooks online and there's some steps that I come across and don't know how to do, but there's few people learning this stuff I'm learning, so there's few people who can answer the question which makes me feel like I don't have anybody to turn to for help."
Recognizing that for every problem, there's a solution, Liu began utilizing Chat GPT to practice and critique his work as a "temporary solution."
As he looks ahead, Liu understands that this is just the beginning of his journey and his potential in this field is limitless. As he prepares to enter grade 11, Liu hopes his story can inspire other students.
"Jimmy has the potential to be an awesome role model for other international students in this school," said Holy Trinity Principal Teresa Castellarin.
"We run a sheltered religion because a lot of our students aren't necessarily catholic who come into this school but this is a place where they can learn about values, and again another environment that supports them in their journey, learning of language, feeling comfortable, not just in our school environment or in Oakville but within the province and even Canada."