Hometown: Austin, TX
Majors: Mathematics and Theology
Although I intended to be an Exercise Science major, I quickly realized it was not for me. I still had a desire to help equip high school students with the tools and confidence they need to interact in our world today, but math, not exercise science, was one of my paths to doing so.
I’ve watched my mother teach math for several years, and I’ve seen the difference her caring and candid presence make in the lives of her students. Through math, she has built relationships; and her understanding of the material allowed her to explain concepts in a variety of ways.
In fact, my mother taught me to love math as well, prompting my third-grade self to write in a school journal that I wanted to be a math teacher in Austin someday. Lo and behold, my third-grade self and myself 15 years later are in agreement!
Being a math teacher will let me invest in people, something I love to do. Currently, I am planning to teach high school math and coach in Texas. A great job would be teaching math and theology, my other major, while coaching.
My advisor, Dr. John Hossler, is constantly checking on me as an individual, not just as a student. He does this by checking to ensure that I am sleeping, eating, and not too stressed. He also listens when I’m struggling through life — crying about school or spouting about things I dislike. Some of my favorite conversations involve discussions that oscillate from math education theories to theology to baseball. Taken together, these experiences have made being a Math major worthwhile and transformative.