What Happens When Students Lead Their Own Learning? | Daniel Ott | High School Senior at Burlingame High School | #248

Daniel Ott had never beaten his twin sister at Clue. In 2024, we started asking whether math could change that. What began as a plan to write some code grew into more than two years of research, simulated games, tested strategies, and explorations of probability, psychology, and the history of Clue. We eventually turned the project into a 170-page book. The project led us to a bigger question: what happens when learning begins with something you genuinely want to figure out? Daniel reflects on following a question without knowing where it will lead, working through failed ideas, and discovering concepts because he needed them to solve a problem. As he prepares to leave high school, we also explore confidence, the value and frustrations of school, speaking up regardless of age, and the mixed feelings of leaving home. Daniel’s curiosity runs through it all, from a family game night to the possibilities ahead of him.