PhD Student, The University of Texas at Arlington, Mathematics.
1. How long have you been at your institution?
I started my PhD journey back in 2019 at The University of Texas at Arlington.
2. Who is your favorite STEM character in a book, movie or TV show?
Will Hunting from the movie Good Will Hunting. He was played by Matt Damon.
3. What inspired you to get involved in S-STEM work?
My PhD advisor Dr. Theresa Jorgensen. Looking back at my life events, I would say it was when I started teaching 8 a.m. class, hours away at a community college. I am not a morning person, but the love of mathematics gave me so much energy, and I became a morning person just for mathematics. My mom helped me get up in the mornings, and my dad used to start my car, so I could stay warm and cozy. I kept teaching and learning mathematics, then fast-forward eight years later—here I am doing research on S-STEM.
4. What skills or knowledge are you learning throughout the program that you find most useful in your career?
It has always been very challenging for me to stay focused during online meetings; however, knowing that I will be presenting my updated research has kept me on my feet and staying focused. I love collaborating with people from different institutions and working with a big group; it allows me to get a flavor of their unique ideas. I have learned a lot from online meetings and am still learning.
5. What advice would you give to students who transfer from 2YC to 4YC?
My advice to all students is figure out what subject or topic you are good at and take classes to enhance what you are already good at. This will help ignite your full potential regardless of your major, whether is it STEM or any other major.
6. Is your involvement in S-STEM work worthwhile to your graduate school/professional journey? If so, please elaborate.
I am a humble STEM graduate student. I love mathematics, and it’s the only thing that I can do for hours and hours and not get tired of . I love chocolate too, but I would get tired of it eventually. My portion of the S-STEM research is novice, and it is correlated to my dissertation. Thanks to my advisor Dr. Theresa Jorgensen for helping me to develop the topic, and I am honored to be working on it with her guidance along the way.
7. What skill do you think is most valuable for students considering a STEM career?
Time management and being consistent. This is something that I am still working on.
8. Tell us about the most rewarding experience that you have had during your STEM career.
I love teaching mathematics to my students. When they tell me that they understand a particular concept because of my style of teaching, this is the biggest complement and most rewarding for me. I believe I was put on this Earth to be a mathematics educator and researcher.