Refugees from war, Palestinian sisters win gold and silver at a mathematics olympiad in São Paulo

After nearly two years away from school due to the war in Gaza, Palestinian sisters who have been living in Brazil for eight months have won medals at the Mathematics Olympiad for São Paulo State Schools, known as Omasp. Tala, 14, and Dana Awad, 15, won gold and silver, respectively.

Today, Tala is in the 9th grade of elementary school and Dana is in the first year of high school at the Tarcísio Álvares Lobo State School, in the Freguesia do Ó area of the northern zone of São Paulo. According to them, before the war, they were already standout students.

"We always studied with great dedication, for several hours at a stretch. We worked very hard and sought to learn the language in order to achieve the best results," they told Folha in a video interview. The two answered questions together, with the help of a translator.

Despite their track record, the family says it was surprised by the result. The sisters say the test was not very difficult after they prepared with books, notebooks, teacher support, and the use of a translator.

Since the start of the war in October 2023, schools in the Gaza Strip stopped operating following Israeli bombardments. "There are no more schools functioning there," they say. The family spent the first six months of the conflict under constant attacks and displacement, until they managed to leave the territory for Egypt.

"We lost a large part of our family, both on our father's side and our mother's side," they say.

Without residency authorization, the sisters were unable to enroll in Egyptian schools. The alternative was online education offered by Ramallah, a city in the West Bank, but, according to them, with insufficient structure. In total, they went about two years without in-person schooling.

They cite their love of studying and their desire to keep learning as one of the factors that helped them through this period. "Education is the key to the future."

For the family, life in Brazil has been better than they imagined. At their new school, they say they have found safety and support to study and pursue good results. "We would like to express our gratitude to this country for giving us a new opportunity to start over after all the difficulties we faced."

Still in an adjustment phase, they point to the Portuguese language as their main challenge. According to them, they still feel "more or less" confident in the language. Even so, they decided to give the interview without the help of a translator. When asked what they like most about the country, they mention the art, the places, and the food.

Before arriving, they had no acquaintances in Brazil. The definitive choice of the country came after a younger brother was born on Brazilian soil. "We were looking for a place that would offer us safety and rights that we did not have because of the situation in our country," they say.

Already settled in the country, the sisters had to adapt to a school routine different from the one they had in Gaza. Among their favorite subjects, Tala mentions mathematics, science, and geography; Dana prefers Portuguese.

The Omasp is divided into phases. In the second stage, in which the sisters were awarded, students take the test at their own school, covering content specific to each grade level. At the end, the top 5% of students per municipality or region are awarded prizes.

With her gold medal, Tala qualified for the third phase of the Omasp, scheduled for August 6, a stage that could lead her to the OBM (Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad).

"It's an indescribable feeling. I feel proud of myself for having managed to overcome, even if only in part, the difficulties with the language. For me, that is already a victory," says Tala.

The repercussion on social media, complete with messages of support and recognition from strangers, took the family completely by surprise. According to the sisters, they did not expect to receive so much attention, and it gave them even more motivation to keep working hard and learning. They hope their story will serve as an example for other students.

For their mother, Ahlam, it is an immense joy and source of pride to see her daughters adapting, learning a new language, and winning medals, after everything the family has been through. According to her, this represents a great victory for everyone. "I am very grateful to the school and the teachers for their warmth, their support, and for believing in them," she says.

In Brazil, medals in academic olympiads can help with admission to universities. After the experiences they have been through, the sisters say they intend to study medicine. "After everything we went through, we came to understand even more the importance of doctors. We want to save lives and help both our country and the one that took us in."