On a typical school morning, Sohil Rathi can be found in the library, studying for an upcoming math competition. From competing in the American Mathematics Competitions and Mathcounts to writing two books to help other students succeed in math competitions, Rathi’s commitment to math has earned him accolades and recognition from students throughout Lynbrook and the state. Yet, it is not just solving math problems that excite Rathi. Partnering with his sister, he runs a popular YouTube channel devoted to competition math and has fostered a community of students who aspire to reach new heights in mathematics.

Since the age of six, Rathi has won countless awards. Qualifying for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination every year since his fifth grade and USA Junior Mathematical Olympiad beginning in seventh grade, Rathi has exceeded his class’s achievements.

“It’s really just doing lots of practice problems, learning concepts and applying them,” Rathi said. “Learn from the problems you do and try to relate them to techniques. When you see similar problems, you can use those same techniques to solve them.”

One of Rathi’s savored memories is competing  in the national level of Mathcounts, where competitors have one minute to solve each problem. Although Rathi made a few mistakes, it taught him to work efficiently under pressure.

Although Rathi’s dedication to math is evident in his impressive achievements, it’s his passion for sharing his knowledge and helping others that truly sets him apart. 

Since the sixth grade, Rathi has taught students through the non-profit organization he founded, OmegaLearn. However, realizing the limited scope of his class and wanting to impact students globally, he started teaching through YouTube Live. Since then, he has expanded to regular videos, with his most popular video, “AMC 8 Math Class 1 – Permutations and Combinations,” accumulating 39,000 views.

On his YouTube channel, Rathi makes short videos that teach his viewers more creatively than other competition math channels, which provide longer and more complex videos. He skillfully edits his videos and provides decorative thumbnails that instantly draw viewers in. 

In addition, Rathi wrote three books, “Mastering AMC 8,” “Mastering AMC 10/12” and “The Book of Mathematical Formulas and Strategies” to help other students prepare for the AMC 10/12, Mathcounts and Math Olympiad. These books have received positive reviews from readers around the world, further cementing Rathi’s status as a math prodigy. His easy-to-understand solutions to his book’s practice problems allow learners to develop a pattern to understand when to use each technique.

“There’s many competing math books that just have problems and solutions, “Rathi said. “But in all my written examples, I explain the thought process behind every problem so that students can learn and say ‘Oh, that’s what I can try and do for future problems.’”

Rathi’s multitude of resources have helped numerous students, including sophomore Abhinav Raja.

“Sohil’s videos and books have helped me in many ways, including to qualify for this year’s AIME competition.” Raja said.

A shining example of what can be achieved with perseverance and genuine passion, Rathi’s widespread contributions to the academic community have impacted many young lives.