Seeing the Proof

Sami El-Hajjar ’27 insists his genuine love of math, more than an innate ability, is what drives his incredible success. But others think he might be oversimplifying.

When he was 2 years old, Sami El-Hajjar ’27 completed a 300-piece puzzle in the time it took his mom to finish cooking dinner. At age 5, he was solving Rubik’s cubes. By 2nd grade, he completed the 6th grade math curriculum at Maryland Avenue Montessori School, and got his first taste of competitive mathematics when he joined the school’s MathCounts team. By 7th grade, he was the top-ranked MathCounts student in the state.

El-Hajjar came to USM in 8th grade in 2022, joining his twin sister, Aida ’27, and older sister, Raya ’25. That same year, he enrolled in AP Calculus BC, a course typically reserved for juniors and seniors. “That was the first time I’ve had an 8th grader in AP Calculus BC,” said Dr. Michael Bartl, Upper School math teacher since 2004. That December, El-Hajjar earned a perfect score on the Opportunity Conference exam at Milwaukee School of Engineering, an invite-only, statewide math competition.

It’s not an innate ability that sets El-Hajjar apart, he insists. He just really, really likes math. He spends an estimated 15 to 20 hours a week on practice problems, and scours the internet for tests. “Ever since I was young, of all of the subjects, I always looked forward to math,” he said. But others recognize a rare gift. 

“These exams are not easy,” said Dr. Cory Wright, assistant professor of mathematics at MSOE, who helps to write the tests that El-Hajjar has now aced four years in a row. “It’s hard for me to believe that he can solve these problems from rote memory. It really feels like he just intuitively understands the concepts, maybe even more than I do.” 

In spring 2026, El-Hajjar was one of about 250 students nationwide to qualify for the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad exam. He secured a silver-category score, missing gold by only three points. Bartl has no doubt that he will do even better next year. “Sami just sees the proof develop in front of his eyes,” he said. “It’s not a struggle for him. As a teacher, it’s highly gratifying for me because I just see the joy he has for math. I always tell him, ‘Right now, I’m your boss. Sooner or later, you can teach me.’”