Math is something that comes to me easily, and if I’m having trouble, it usually won’t take long for me to learn. I find myself always thinking about math in everyday situations. I used to be a math teacher. I enjoyed using my mathematical knowledge to my advantage when teaching secondary-education level material. But not only did I teach students; they taught me too. I’ve learned so much, both educationally and mathematically, as a teacher. Apart from math I also have interests in computer science and Web development, science fiction, physics, and astronomy.

I’ve liked math for as long as I can remember. Throughout my childhood, I developed an interest in math at an exponential rate. In early elementary school, the GT program introduced mathematical concepts that weren’t seen until later years, and in Sixth Grade I started learning pre-algebra. Mrs. Whitechurch was my Geometry and Algebra II teacher in high school. She and my other high school math teachers had further increased my likeness and fluency in the subject. I felt very close with Ms. Robbins. She made Trig and Precalc really fun for me and was the first teacher to introduce limits. That sparked my greatest interest in Calculus. I remember having such a difficult time with chain rule. Ms. Varanavage, my Calculus teacher, and Mr. Petersen, my Physics teacher, were like rivals trying to be the first ones to teach us the same content. I actually learned anti-derivatives in Physics before I learned it in Calculus!

As a mathematician, the subjects I am most interested in are calculus and analysis. I passed the AP Calculus BC exam with a 5, so I didn’t need to take Freshman Calculus in college. But Multi-Var with Dr. Snider, Vector Calc with Dr. Thompson, and Advanced Calc with Dr. Parry were difficult feats.