(PORTLAND) — Population of Portland? Right around 630,000. Number of Portlanders who are into salmon protection, piano, motor sports and headed to Stanford University? Oh, and the abacus?

That’d be Winston Chan.

He’s sui generis: unique.

According to Toronto Metropolitan University, an abacus can be used to perform addition, subtraction, division and multiplication, and can handle square- and cubic-roots. It’s ancient, and nobody really knows who invented it. It’s a frame, usually wooden, with rods and beads. The beads are manipulated by hand to solve simple or complicated mathematical problems.

And Winston Chan is ranked internationally in the use of “abacus.” (Chan eschews any articles of speech, like “the” or “an,” in front of that word. He calls it “abacus,” as if it’s a friend.)

Chan, 18 and a senior at Jesuit High School, came to his love of the ancient calculator at an early — as in, way early — age. His mother, Judy Chan, said she took him to a neighborhood fair when he was 4 years old and he saw an Asian woman demonstrating the device. “I remember it. Winston was so fascinated with it!” Judy Chan recalled.

The woman with the abacus taught, but she wouldn’t take anyone younger than 5. Judy said her son never forgot, and when he turned 5, asked for lessons.

“He was always interested in numbers. Even as a toddler,” she said.

When asked if she or Winston’s father are mathematically inclined as well, Judy Chan laughed. “No! He outpaced us about grade two! Oh my.”

Winston Chan recalls the same anecdote from when he was 4.

“They’re just … they’re so interesting,” he said. “They’re a visual representation of numbers. How they move. How to do complicated math. Now, when I see numbers on a chalk board, I envision beads.”

He started going to abaci competitions — yes, apparently, that’s a thing — at age 7. That culminated last December with his first overseas competition, held in Japan.

“It was an awesome experience there. I got to meet so many people,” Chan said, including young people from Japan, China, Brazil and the United Kingdom.

How’d he do?

First place among contestants from North American and ninth overall in the world. (Note: The eight contestants who outranked him all came from Japan.)

International abaci competition includes ranks, much like martial arts or chess. The ranks count downward, then back up: such as Levels 3, 2 and 1, followed by Dan 1, Dan 2, Dan 3, etc., up to Dan 10, the highest international rank.

There are two different mechanisms for gaining rank in abacus competitions. In one, Chan is rated Dan 10. In the other, Dan 8. And he’s the first student from the United States to reach Dan 8 under that testing mechanism.

And if that’s all that makes Winston Chan standout, he’d still be pretty close to unique. But Maureen McGrain, communications and marketing associate for Jesuit High, says there’s so much more.

She said Chan has been volunteering both musically and with the abacus at the Avamere Crestview of Portland nursing home, in the memory-care unit. He’s volunteered at the Washington State School for the Blind. All students at Jesuit are required to put in 65 hours volunteering; Chan is at well over 200 hours so far.

He’s attended the famed Ignatian Family Teach-In For Justice in Washington, D.C., and has presented research on salmon restoration and the impact on Native American tribes.

“He’s so kind, and he’s got so many talents,” said McGrain, who has a son who attends Jesuit. “I asked my son about him. He said, ‘Oh, Winston? He’s the GOAT. He’s just the GOAT.’”

As in: Greatest Of All Time.

Oh, and Chan surprised everyone this year by taking part in the Jesuit High talent competition. They knew he could play piano, but they didn’t know he could sing.

Judy Chan said, “That was the first time he sang. And he won!”

To round out a well-rounded-out kid, Chan also is a fan of motor sports, including Formula 1, Formula E and NASCAR.

Chan has been accepted to Stanford University this fall, where he says he might major in math or environmental science.

And in case anyone is wondering, he plans to pack his abacus.