MIHS sophomore Eric Shao qualifies for the Mathematical Olympiad Program

Mercer Island, WA, April 28, 2026 – Mercer Island principal Nick Wold is pleased to announce sophomore Eric Shao has qualified for the Mathematical Olympiad Program (MOP).

The MOP is the most prestigious summer math program for high schoolers.

“Since I was young, I have been very interested in math, so from 6th grade, I have been working hard towards math competitions,” said Shao.

“For some context, our school, along with some other schools around the world, participates in the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC), with around 300,000 participants total. After 3 rounds of selection, the top 60 students qualify for the MOP, which selects students for Team USA in the International Math Olympiad,” continued Shao.

Shao has also won a United States Math Olympiad silver medal with the highest score in Washington. To the best of MIHS and the District’s knowledge, no student from MIHS has ever qualified for the United State Math Olympiad  been invited to MOP.

“I’m really grateful to this school and community for supporting me and giving a great environment for my math journey, from the support for MATHCOUNTS in middle school to the opportunity to take the AMC contests at this high school,” said Shao.

The MOP takes place from June 7 to June 27.

“I will have to miss those days at school, but I will schedule tests and final retakes with my teachers as well,” said Shao.