Hometown: Long Island, New York
Concentration: Mathematics
What drew you to Brown's MAT program?
During my freshman year at Brown, I ended up loving one of my math courses, which led me to become a TA (teaching assistant) for that course. I rediscovered my love of math through teaching it and making it understandable, and through supporting students in their mathematics journey! I feel that everyone deserves the opportunity to have access to a good mathematics education. Inequitable access to STEM only further perpetuates preexisting racial and socioeconomic disparities. By going to Brown, I feel that we are responsible for the impact that Brown has on the local community and to make sure the (abundant) University resources are properly invested into the people of Providence. I therefore chose to pursue my MAT at Brown and teach in Providence public schools, so that I can begin to give back to the people of Providence to whom we owe so much.
Why did you choose the Combined Baccalaureate/MAT degree pathway?
I chose the Combined Bacc/MAT program because I realized that teaching and sharing knowledge is how I want to utilize the math I have studied at Brown. By doing the Combined Bacc/MAT program, I am already beginning to do the work I find most fulfilling. Being a Bacc/MAT has made my senior year all-the-more meaningful, as I know that—even long after graduation—I will continue to use everything I have learned here at Brown to improve our local schools and communities.
Have you worked with students before? If so, what did you enjoy most about that experience?
I have! My most recent experience was this past summer when I was a Generation Teach Providence Teaching Fellow. I worked with Providence Public School District (PPSD) students, and I taught a cohort of seventh graders engineering! It was incredible to see how much of an impact I could have on my students in a matter of weeks, and watch them grow as individuals, as students, and as friends to their peers. I also had such a blast running around and trying to keep up with my very energetic seventh graders. It was so fun having students who could keep me on my toes and leave me feeling so tired, yet so fulfilled at the end of every day.
What are you most looking forward to about the MAT program?
I am so excited to meet future teachers who are as passionate about what they do as I am and work together to make our schools better and provide our students with a better education. I also cannot wait to begin my student-teaching and form personal and meaningful connections with students, teachers, and parents, and to effect change from within my soon-to-be school community.
What is your favorite Education course at Brown?
My favorite education course is EDUC 0560: Cultivating STEM Identities: Teaching for Equity in the Math and Science Classrooms. That class taught me so much about what it means to teach STEM, and how to go about doing so in ways that are culturally responsive, equitable, and conducive to helping underrepresented minority (URM) students develop their own math and STEM identities. Professor Indira Gil who teaches the class is the best—her passion and enthusiasm for math teaching and education are so contagious and inspire me to be a better math teacher myself. It is a spring-semester course, so I highly recommend shopping it next semester!