Al Seib / Los Angeles Times
If you’re one of those people who think you’re good at math, think again. Because a 17 year old Fil-Am is one of only 12 people in the world who perfected an Advanced Placement Calculus exam.
Cedrick Argueta, a student at the Abraham Lincoln High School in Lincoln Heights, Los Angeles, is the son of a Filipina nurse and an El Salvadoran maintenance worker.
Advanced Placement, or AP, is a program in North America where exceptional high school students are given college level curricula and examinations. They are often given grant placements and course credits in colleges and universities.
A total of 302,531 students took the exam last year, and Argueta was one of the 12 who perfected it. As a result, he has become a celebrity in his school because of the media coverage.
His mother, who works two jobs in a nursing home, was surprised when the media started calling. That’s when she realized the gravity of her son’s accomplishment.
Cedrick said, “It’s crazy. Twelve people in the whole world to do this and I was one of them? It’s amazing.”
School principal Jose Torres said, “It’s mind-blowing. It’s the first time I’ve had something of this magnitude. A lot of kids expected him to be the one.”
Last May, Argueta and his classmates took the AP Calculus AB exam, a three hour and 15 minute test given by the by the nonprofit College Board, which handles the AP program. Arguete learned last summer that he got a 5, the highest score, but only found out that he perfected it last week.
To celebrate, the family went to Roy’s, Cedrick’s favorite restaurant. The waiters brought him free souffle after learning his score.
Since perfecting the score, friends have called him “One of Twelve.” Arguete said he wants to take up Engineering.
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