Farmer John’s cows are at it again! How would you sort them in height order with the minimum number of operations? Or select a given cow in a line with just a few comparisons? For Matthew Lau (12), this wrangling of Bessie’s bovine friends is an exercise in patience and creativity.

Challenges like these encompass the problems presented in the United States of America Computing Olympiad (USACO), a competition that Matthew started studying and competing in starting in ninth grade. Through applying his skills to the world of competitive programming, Matthew mastered numerous algorithms, but the specifics of these techniques are not the end-all be-all.

“You’ve got to practice a lot because there’s more than just known algorithms or data structures,” Matthew said. “There’s also creativity, and you have to have experience and problem-solving skills for that.”

For Matthew, the deeper concepts behind each problem hold the most value. In his calculus class, upper school math teacher Anthony Silk sees Matthew’s problem solving ability and conceptual understanding as one of his strongest qualities.

“Matthew is a natural mathematician,” Silk said. “He seems to get the big picture. He knows what’s going on. It is holistically saying: ‘I see the picture. I know where I’m supposed to go on that.’”

Silk also notes Matthew’s ability to consistently follow along and know exactly what must be done, in a quiet and modest way. Matthew uses these qualities to guide his peers in their work.

“Matthew is relaxed,” Silk said. “He is happy to help out other people. He’s happy to discuss anything if somebody asks. He’ll answer questions, but he will never be trying to get ahead of somebody or racing to do something before somebody else does or trying to get a better grade.”

Likewise, close friend Rohan Bhowmik (12) remarked Matthew’s flair when it comes to academic knowledge.

“Matthew is like a thermonuclear bomb,” Rohan said. “Thermonuclear bombs can be laid back. In fact, they’re probably laid-back for 200 years in their silo before the next World War happens, but when they detonate, they unleash a fury upon the world that decimates everything. Except instead of decimation, Matthew builds. His ideas and his passion can be overpowering.”

However easygoing he may seem, Matthew works tirelessly towards any goal he sets himself up for. Aside from competitive programming, Matthew also has been working on various GitHub projects, learning hip-hop dance and training at the gym.

“One of my goals right now is being able to do handstand push-ups,” Matthew said. “Things I’m passionate about, I’m able to keep it up for a very long time. Once you have a purpose or explicit image of yourself, then it becomes [something] you’ll do every day or do consistently.”

With this spirit of perseverance, Matthew recently picked up running, a hobby he enjoys as a means to alleviate stress. While the physical endurance can be straining at times, he finds solace in those difficult moments. With his mind solely focused on the present, Matthew finds running to be a pleasant respite from the complexities of life.

“A lot of times I think too much about the past or too much about the future, especially because people make you think a lot about the future,” Matthew said. “But being able to be present in the moment, when you’re running and you’re out of breath, the only thing you can think about is moving your legs. You can’t think of anything else.”

While clear objectives can push one to new limits, Matthew also recognizes the importance of an intrinsic factor to motivation. By enjoying the process beyond focusing solely on his outcomes, Matthew found himself achieving his goals over time.

“Even though I didn’t see results for two years in USACO, I put in the work to learn, and then I was able to make it even though I wasn’t really trying to make it to a goal,” Matthew said. “If you study for the purpose of learning, that helps in the long run.”

Matthew applies this same mindset of patience and resilience more generally to striving towards his goals. Particularly, close friend Rishi Cherukuri (12) notes Matthew’s confidence and his bold approach to failure. Despite losing overwhelmingly after betting $50 on a ping-pong match between Rishi and himself, Matthew remained unfazed.

“He always goes in thinking that you have to prove to him that you’re better than him, like that ‘I believe that I’m the best at what I do, until you show me otherwise’ mindset,” Rishi said. “It’s a good mindset to have.”

Matthew tackles any problem, mental or physical, with perseverance and determination, all while maintaining his relaxed attitude. Even if the process is long and hard, he pulls himself through.

“It’ll get frustrating when you don’t know if you made progress,” Matthew said. “Over a long period of time, you can tell after testing yourself and just comparing to your previous results that you’ve made progress. That helps, especially since it takes time to build this whole strength or skill.”