About Me

I was not always a “math” person. Growing up, I viewed mathematics as a rigorous topic which demanded more of myself than I thought was possible. I performed so poorly in my middle school pre-algebra class that my teacher wanted me to repeat the course. When I was not held back the following semester, I felt like I had to prove myself. I took this second chance as a fresh start even though studying math remained far more difficult than studying other subjects.

After my first two years of college, I became a student tutor at my institution's tutoring center. I tutored the occasional essay, but I found myself tutoring more math sessions than I could have imagined. I found the job very rewarding, and I loved explaining mathematical concepts that I once thought were difficult to students who were just like me. I loved clearing up the confusions students had because they were the same confusions I had.

Then, one morning, I caught myself thinking, "I can't wait to go to work today!" That was the day I began to seriously consider a future in mathematics. I was a psychology major at the time so I signed up for Calculus 1 to see if my head could keep up with my heart. I was very nervous on my first day of class, but I did not realize that my years of tutoring had equipped me with all I needed. I found the next several math courses to be easier than I anticipated due to my time as a tutor so, at the start of my senior year as a psychology major, I switched to mathematics and have never looked back!

Eventually, I completed a PhD in mathematics at Auburn University and began my career as an assistant professor at Middle Georgia State University. My goal is to teach the lessons I learned, both in struggle and in success, to my students so that they experience the rewards of learning and growing in every aspect of their life.