Kaka Zhang

I am a first year  student at Stanford University studying Mathematics and Computer Science. I chose this path because of my interest in rigorous problem solving and the way mathematical thinking underpins many areas of computer science. I enjoy working through challenging, abstract problems and applying those skills in both theoretical and computational settings.

I studied at Random Math during my junior and senior years from 2023 to 2025, where I further developed my competitive math background and problem-solving discipline. My competition experience includes placing 9th in Sweepstakes and 7th in the Team Round at HMMT February 2025; 3rd in Sweepstakes, 4th in Guts, 1st in Power, 5th in Calculus, and 8th in Team at SMT 2024; 4th in Sweepstakes at SMT 2025; 8th overall at BMT 2023; 6th in Sweepstakes, 5th in Team, and 7th in Power at CMM 2025; and 11th in Sweepstakes and 13th in Power at CMM 2024.

Competitive math has been extremely helpful in my academic work, particularly in courses such as Number Theory and Cryptography and in preparation for the Putnam exam. Beyond specific techniques, Random Math strengthened my perseverance and ability to work through complex, multi-step problems.