What makes you a Difference Maker?
Teaching mathematics on campus and the research projects I’ve participated in make me a Difference Maker. I’ve worked as a tutor at the Math Learning Center, as an assistant for the Summer Bridge Program and as a teaching assistant for Linear Algebra, Calculus I & II. I also helped create content for an online course and volunteered with the UM-Dearborn Math Circle. I participated in the Preparation for Industrial Careers in Mathematics course, the Undergraduate Research Experience in Mathematics, the Mathematical Contest in Modeling and UM-Dearborn Statistics Research, as well as independent research. I presented this research at both local and national conferences. Through this work and research, I’ve learned skills that go beyond theory. I’ve also made many friends by sharing my love for math and statistics.
Highlight your campus achievements:
I received the Chancellor’s Medallion, the 2015 Honors Scholar of Applied Statistics, the William J. Branstrom Prize, and was named a James B. Angell Scholar. I also received the Mathematics Department Scholarship in 2014 and 2015 and the Barnes and Noble Book Scholarship. My team’s research for the preparation for industrial careers in mathematics course was one of six groups selected across the nation to give an oral presentation at Math Fest in Washington D.C. My presentation of Statistical Exploration and Modeling of the SEER Cancer Database won Best Undergraduate Presentation award at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Regional Mathematics and Statistics Conference.
Highlight your leadership experiences both on and off campus:
My leadership on campus sprouted from all the teaching and mentoring I did for the Math Learning Center and the Mathematics and Statistics Department. Teaching integration tactics or algebraic skills often lead to talking about difficulties in other areas of college life, and I’d offer my advice and relate with students. During the Summer Bridge Program—in which I helped incoming freshmen place into higher math classes—students appreciated my advice and perspective as an upperclassman. The willingness of upperclassmen to help me as a freshman was comforting, and I strove to pass the friendliness along when I became a junior and senior.
What is your dream career and/or long term life goal?
I strive to create a better world through the intelligent use of data. I recently accepted a job in Detroit analyzing data, and I’m eager to apply and grow my data skills in the industry. During my time at the UM-Dearborn, I’ve worked with data from a vast variety of disciplines and witnessed its ability to improve people’s lives. Several of my research projects at Dearborn focused on electricity data, and I see a great potential for data in the energy sector. My time studying and teaching has shown me the rational thinking and problem solving skills that can be gained through learning mathematics, and I strongly believe in the importance of math education.
What was your most defining moment at UM-Dearborn?
My first review session I held as a teaching assistant was very difficult, and I failed to get across many of the important concepts I intended to. This failure taught me the importance of communication, especially when it comes to technical ideas. From that point on, I was motivated to improve and to focus on those I was trying to communicate with and what I was trying to get across. Teaching and communicating mathematics and statistics has become one of my strongest skills, and I look back to this moment as the defining moment which lead me to where I am right now.