My corner of the internet · Grade 8

Hi, I’m
Aarnav.

I’m an eighth grader at Demarest Middle School. I’m especially interested in mathematics, business and finance, and technology—and I make plenty of room for music, skiing, and travel.

Demarest Middle School8th gradeMathBusiness & financeTechnology
Portrait of me, Aarnav Gattani
that’s me!
01 / ABOUT ME

A few things about me, so far

I’m in eighth grade at Demarest Middle School, and math is my home turf — I compete in the AMC 8, Math Kangaroo, and MathCon.

But numbers are just the starting point: I'm fascinated by how business and finance actually work, and by the technology that powers them. When I'm not doing math, I'm making music, skiing, travelling, working out at the gym, or playing badminton. This page brings those parts of my story together—and leaves room for the confirmed details still to come. A work in progress, in the best way.

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02 / WHAT I’M INTO

The subjects that
keep me curious

one

Math

Math is a big part of my academic life. I enjoy competition problem-solving and participate in the AMC 8, Math Kangaroo, and MathCon.

two

Business & Finance

I’m interested in learning how businesses work and how financial thinking shapes decisions. There is always another question worth asking.

three

Technology

Technology is another subject I enjoy exploring. One early milestone: in 2020 I became a Certified Game Developer through WhiteHat Jr. I’m also self-studying Python, C#, Unity, HTML, Java, and ciphering.

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03 / MY HOBBIES

What I enjoy beyond the classroom

These are the things that give my weeks a different rhythm—and make this page feel more like me.

01

Band performances

I play the saxophone, bass, and guitar. Band performances give me a chance to move between three very different instruments and be part of something everyone creates together. See my band performance photos

04

Working out

Working out at the gym is part of my weekly routine — it gives my weeks a different rhythm from math and school.

Me at the chest-press machine at the gym, December 2025
At the gym, December 2025
A selfie with my dad at the gym, June 2026
At the gym with my dad, June 2026

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04 / ACHIEVEMENTS

Achievements & notes

This site is a work in progress — I’m sharing the parts of my story that are ready, and adding the rest as the details fall into place.

a. Math achievements

  • MATHEMATICS

    Competition math

    Competition math is a big part of my story — I've taken part in the AMC 8, Math Kangaroo, MathCon, Noetic, ASMA, the Continental Math League, and MathCounts. Each one tests something a little different, and I like them all for different reasons.

  • MATH · GRADE 7

    Math Kangaroo Competition 2026

    I took the Math Kangaroo Competition in seventh grade and earned a score of 89 out of 120, with a National Rank of 29 and a New Jersey State Rank of 12.

  • MATHCON · 2026

    MathCON 2026 Online Test

    On March 12, 2026, I was awarded a Certificate of Achievement “For Outstanding Performance.”

  • AMC 8 · GRADE 7

    AMC 8 · January 2026

    I scored 19 out of 25 on the AMC 8 in January 2026, when I was in seventh grade, and received a certificate for scoring in the top 10%.

  • MATH · NOETIC

    Noetic Learning Math Contest

    I earned a National Award in the fall of seventh grade, and National Honorable Mentions in the spring of fifth through seventh grade and the fall of fifth and sixth grade.

  • MATH · GRADE 7

    ASMA and Continental Math League

    In seventh grade I scored 35 out of 42 on the American Scholastic Mathematics Association contest and 18 out of 25 in the Continental Math League.

  • MATH TEAM

    Math Team Co-Captain

    I'm a co-captain of the school math team in seventh and eighth grade, and I was a team member in fifth and sixth grade.

  • MATHCOUNTS

    MathCounts

    I was selected for the school's MathCounts team in seventh and eighth grade.

b. Performing arts achievements

  • PIANO · 2022

    National Piano Playing Auditions — National Winner, 2022

    In 2022, I was named a National Winner in the Elementary Class of the National Piano Playing Auditions, organized by the National Guild of Piano Teachers.

  • PIANO · 2023

    National Piano Playing Auditions — National Winner, 2023

    In 2023, I earned National Winner honors in the Elementary Class for the second year in a row, and my name was entered in the National Roll of Piano Students for 2 years.

  • PIANO · APRIL 2023

    Piano recital — Lina Otero Studio

    On April 23, 2023, I performed in a student recital at Lina Otero Studio, held at the Dorothy Young Recital Hall of Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.

c. Science achievements

  • SCIENCE · GRADE 5

    Bergen SciChallenge — Outstanding Presentation, June 2024

    In June 2024, while I was in fifth grade, I earned a certificate for outstanding presentation at the Bergen SciChallenge, sponsored by Bergen County Academies. My project was “Impact of video games on your brain and how much can they affect your brain.”

d. Debate

  • DEBATE

    Debate

    I'm on the school debate team in eighth grade, and I did BCDC debate in sixth and seventh grade.

e. News Team

  • MEDIA

    LLE News Team

    I've been on the school news team from fourth through eighth grade, producing news broadcasts published on YouTube.

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05 / BAND

Band

Music is my thing besides math. I play saxophone, bass, and guitar, and I perform with my school band and a local band. In December 2025 we played a holiday show at the Demarest gazebo — Santa hats, fairy lights, freezing fingers and all. In March 2026 we played a show at a theatre. In June 2026 we played an open-air show. My favorite moments are the ones where the whole band locks in and the song just clicks.

An open-air summer show — bass, keys, and vocals.

The full band performing together on an outdoor stage
Open-air show, June 2026
Me playing bass at the open-air show
Bass at the open-air show, June 2026
Keys and vocals during the open-air show
Keys and vocals at the open-air show, June 2026

A theatre show — I sang and played bass.

Our band performing at a theatre
Theatre show, March 2026
Me playing bass during the theatre show
Bass at the theatre show, March 2026

A busy December: our school concert and a holiday show at the Demarest gazebo, on bass and saxophone.

Me playing bass at a school concert
Bass, school concert, December 2025
Me playing saxophone at a school concert
Saxophone, school concert, December 2025
Me playing bass at the Demarest gazebo holiday show
Bass at the Demarest gazebo holiday show, December 2025
Our band performing a holiday set at the Demarest gazebo
Our holiday set at the Demarest gazebo

School band — I played keys and saxophone.

Me playing keys with the school band
Keys, school band, December 2024
Me playing saxophone with the school band
Saxophone, school band, December 2024

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06 / SKIING

Skiing

Every winter my family heads for the mountains. My first ski trip was to Shawnee Mountain, Pennsylvania, in November 2021. Since then, I’ve skied mountains across Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Switzerland, and Italy. In December 2025 we skied Zermatt, Switzerland, and crossed the ridge to Cervinia, just over the border in Italy. In February 2026 we returned to Killington. I'm not racing anyone — I just love being up there.

Back to Killington, Vermont.

Skiing at Killington in Vermont
Killington, Vermont, February 2026

Zermatt, Switzerland, and Cervinia, just over the border in Italy.

Skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland
Zermatt, December 2025
Skiing in Cervinia, Italy
Cervinia, Italy, December 2025

Loon Mountain, New Hampshire.

Me gearing up at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire
Gearing up at Loon Mountain, February 2025
Me on the slopes at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire
On the slopes at Loon Mountain, February 2025

Sugarbush Mountain, Vermont, over MLK weekend.

Me skiing at Sugarbush Mountain in Vermont
Sugarbush Mountain, Vermont, January 2025

Killington, Vermont.

Me skiing at Killington in Vermont
Killington, Vermont, December 2024

Blue Mountain, Pennsylvania — another mountain day later that year.

Me skiing at Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania
Blue Mountain, Pennsylvania, December 2022

Camelback Mountain, Pennsylvania — another early mountain trip.

Me on the slopes at Camelback Mountain in Pennsylvania
On the slopes at Camelback Mountain, February 2022
Me having lunch in the lodge at Camelback Mountain in Pennsylvania
Lodge lunch at Camelback Mountain, February 2022

Shawnee Mountain, Pennsylvania — my first ski trip.

Me on my first ski trip at Shawnee Mountain in Pennsylvania
Shawnee Mountain, Pennsylvania, November 2021

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07 / TRAVEL

Travel

We've been lucky to travel a lot as a family. London and Paris in August 2026: Big Ben, the London Eye, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the Eiffel Tower, and Versailles. Switzerland in December 2025 — the Lindt chocolate factory, trains with impossible views, and Zermatt village. And Punta Cana in August 2025, where squirrel monkeys climbed all over us.

London and Paris — Big Ben, the London Eye, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the Eiffel Tower, and Versailles.

Big Ben in London
Big Ben, London, August 2026
My dad and me on the London Eye, with Big Ben and Parliament across the Thames
The London Eye, August 2026
At Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, London, August 2026
The Eiffel Tower in Paris
Eiffel Tower, Paris, August 2026
Visiting Versailles in France
Versailles, August 2026

Switzerland — the Lindt chocolate factory, trains with impossible views, and Zermatt village.

Visiting the Lindt Home of Chocolate in Switzerland
Lindt Home of Chocolate, Switzerland, December 2025
Mountain views from a Swiss train
Swiss trains have the best views
Zermatt village in Switzerland
Zermatt village, December 2025

Punta Cana — where squirrel monkeys climbed all over us.

Our family trip to Punta Cana
Punta Cana, August 2025

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08 / GROWING UP

Growing up

A few snapshots from the early years — the projects and days that came before everything else on this page.

Fourth-grade graduation, June 2023.

Me at my fourth-grade graduation
Fourth-grade graduation, June 2023

In June 2023 I dressed up as Steve Jobs for a biography event — turtleneck, round glasses, poster report, and even a MacBook.

Me dressed as Steve Jobs in a turtleneck and round glasses, standing beside my biography poster report
Dressed as Steve Jobs, beside my biography poster report
Me dressed as Steve Jobs at the biography event, holding a MacBook
Steve Jobs, MacBook and all, June 8, 2023

In October 2022, back in fourth grade, our class did a “what I want to be when I grow up” career project. I made a poster for the career I picked: video game designer.

Me in fourth grade with my poster for the career I picked: video game designer
My “what I want to be when I grow up” project — video game designer, October 2022

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09 / PIANO

Piano

The piano has been part of my life since I was little — here are two days I remember well.

On June 8, 2023, with my piano teacher and my National Piano Playing Auditions certificate.

Me with my piano teacher, holding my National Piano Playing Auditions certificate
With my piano teacher and my National Piano Playing Auditions certificate, June 8, 2023

On April 23, 2023, I performed in a Lina Otero Studio recital at the Dorothy Young Recital Hall at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey.

Me playing the piano on stage at the recital
Playing the piano at the recital, April 23, 2023
Me on stage at the Dorothy Young Recital Hall
On stage at the Dorothy Young Recital Hall, April 23, 2023
Me holding flowers after the recital
With flowers after the recital, April 23, 2023
Me with my piano teacher after the recital
With my piano teacher after the recital, April 23, 2023

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