Liam Quade, a third-grader at Mountain Valley Elementary School (MVES) who collects calculators, is one of only 57 students from around the country selected to participate in the National Math Stars (NMS) 2025 cohort program.
For the next 10 years — or until he graduates from high school — Quade will receive more than $100,000 in mentorship, enrichment opportunities, and resources.
“Being selected means a lot to me because it will help me get into a good college and math is my favorite subject,” he said.
The gifted-and-talented student wants to become an astronomer to determine the distance between stars and planets or work as a scientist using axolotl DNA to prevent cancer.
In an interview, he explained a 72-sided shape is called a heptacontadiagon and explained aleph null.
According to a statement issued by Comal ISD today, Quade showed an affinity for math before the age of two, was intrigued by numbers, and easily identified geometric shapes.
His future now includes taking a math class online each semester and attending a summer camp of his choosing. NMS will provide a mentor and family adviser to guide him through the program.
A third-grader at Oak Creek Elementary School (OCES), Trevor Guerrero, also won the prestigious award.
When he’s not mastering mathematical equations, Guerrero enjoys playing for his San Antonio Armadillos lacrosse team and is enrolled in the Spanish Immersion and Gifted-and-Talented programs at OCES.
Future plans include becoming either a police officer like his grandfather or learning how to make robots.
NMS receives thousands of second- and third-grade student nominations every year. Only a small percentage of students are selected to join.
The boys, along with other students from Comal ISD, were nominated for the program based on their Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) math scores.
They also completed a multi-stage evaluation process that assessed mathematical aptitude, eagerness for deeper STEM exploration, and the program’s potential impact on their futures.
This is Comal ISD’s first year to participate in the program.