Dear AoPS,

Today, April 15 (China time), is the day of my 1000th post, and also, quite coincidentally, the day of my 16th birthday. I would like to thank the founders and the community for a number of reasons.

AoPS has opened up me to a brand new world, full of intriguing ideas and problems that radically altered my life. In just a bit more than a year (check when I joined AoPS!), my life would be forever changed. When I entered the realm of math competitions last December as a freshman, I felt out of place, alone, and uncertain of the road ahead. I had refrained from even participating in the AMC 8 out of concern of not achieving a good score. I, like most, viewed math as esoteric and hard. Even to this day, I remember last year, the moment of epiphany of solving #9 on the 2013 10B after about 30 mins of frustration.

It's because of going on AoPS, as I'm reading posts that are almost identical to my own situations, that I instantly felt a connection, and it has grown stronger ever since. For reference, this thread contains my very first post: http://artofproblemsolving.com/community/u233259h618457p3688197. Although my post was quite naive, the atmosphere of the forums instantly made me want to... want to be a part of it and be an active member. Since then, I have bought 9 books from AoPS, taken 3 online classes, and posted 999 posts.

To have gone from a failing score on the the 2015 AMC 10A to having had a legit shot at JMO in just my first year of competitions is far too big an accomplishment to bear on my own. I owe everything to AoPS.

I often like to tell people that my source of education isn't my school. "What? What're you talking about?" No. It's not. It's been AoPS since the moment I created this account. Most people don't believe, that somewhere on the internet, is a site, run not by students my age, containing discussions with the smartest students in the world, the most interesting problems from around the world, accessible in just a few clicks, the solutions of which are posted by none others than peers! Like, what better can you ask of an educational website, in which each peer are so willing to help others, by writing numerous articles on topics, sharing their knowledge through threads dedicated to specific problems, writing study guides and paragraphs of advice like "Math Experiences." Leaders like djmathman and v_enhance inspire the next generation, whose ideas are passed on to the next, and the cycle continues on and on.

Personally, I've had the courage to open my own club this year a sophomore, to spread some of the philosophies of AoPS, undoubtedly naming it "AoPS Club." I've learned that competition is much more than winning and rankings. True winners are not those who get the top scores, but those who gain courage and inspiration from competitions to chase their passion. Moreover, one's passion should be shared.

It's because of AoPS, that I do not regret a single bit of the hours spent deep into the night, pouring over problems and theory when I should be doing homework, knowing that I can wake up the next morning to new ideas and new problems from the community. Thank you, AoPS, for giving me the courage to chase my dream.

Thank you Mr. Rusczyk. Thank you AoPS.

Alright. I guess that's it for now. Time to go solve more problems.