At just five years old, Gulliver kindergartener Amelie Rodriguez ’38 has already made her mark on the global programming stage. Competing against more than 20,000 participants from over 40 countries in the Scratch Olympiad 2025, Amelie earned third place worldwide and first place in the United States—an extraordinary feat given that the youngest official age bracket in the competition is 7-8 years old.
Scratch, a visual programming language developed by MIT, allows children to create interactive stories, games, and animations while learning the foundations of coding in a fun, accessible way.
For her project, Amelie designed a math- and sports-themed game where correct answers propelled a ball into the goal or hoop, depending on the sport. Players advanced through levels by solving problems in addition, multiplication, division, fractions, and more.
When asked what she loves most about her creation, Amelie lit up. “My favorite part of the game is when I get all five levels right and I love that everyone gets a turn, even the teachers.”
Amelie began programming in Scratch at the age of four, but her interest started even earlier. “It all started when I was in Scratch when I was four in programming and I got to program anything I wanted,” she explained. “I like coding because it tells me a bunch about math and how to draw a bunch of shapes. My favorite part of math is equations because it’s really hard and my dad says, ‘difficulty is better than easy.’”
Her father, Jesus Rodriguez, reflected on the experience. “We were genuinely surprised by the results given how competitive the event is. In programming competitions, a two- or three-year age difference is enormous, and at first the organizers were hesitant to let her join. Needless to say, they were a little shocked by how well she did. What mattered most to us, though, is that Amelie saw the whole process as a game. She worked hard but had fun and never took the results too seriously.”
Amelie’s love for reading and math began at a young age, as she was reading by age two and programming by three. For her, coding has become a way to blend her creativity and logical thinking. Rodriguez added, “Programming, especially game design, has become an exciting way for her to combine those interests. We believe it’s a wonderful activity for young kids because it encourages systematic and logical thinking that can serve as a foundation for many other disciplines.”
Her teacher, Ms. Maruchi, sees Amelie’s talent as something extraordinary. “This is automatic for her,” she said. “Numbers make sense. She’s doing math that’s beyond her years.”
True to her Raider spirit, Amelie proudly showcased her school throughout her game. “For her creative challenge, she designed a math and sports game that proudly displayed the Raiders logo throughout, and she even incorporated mentions of Gulliver across different levels – completely her idea!” Rodriguez shared. “Her teachers and the broader school community have been wonderfully supportive of her growth, and she truly couldn’t be happier at Gulliver.”
At Gulliver, STEM is a cornerstone of Next-Level Teaching & Learning. From the earliest grades, students like Amelie are encouraged to explore coding, robotics, engineering, and design thinking – building the confidence and skills to innovate boldly and embrace every challenge.
Amelie plans to compete again in the near future, continuing to build on her early achievements. With her curiosity, talent, and love for learning, the future looks bright for this young coder.
