Previous Student Ambassadors

Sarah Acquaviva
Major: MS in Mathematics
Graduation: May 2023
Math has always been the most interesting subject to me; I decided that I wanted to pursue an advanced degree in math during my seventh grade Pre-Algebra class. I enjoy tackling complex problems and appreciate the logic and rationality necessary for doing so. After I graduate, I hope to pursue a career in mathematics that is both challenging and fulfilling.
Ala Ajaj
Major: Math Education
Graduation: May 2020
Mathematics can be an intellectual challenge. The beauty of the challenge is it forces you to understand the logical reasoning behind every step, law, and rule applied. Every so often we are given a grueling problem and after much thought and logical reasoning you come to a solution. Obtaining a solution to the problem while having a complete understanding of it is the greatest feeling. My career goal is to be a secondary math teacher and change students’ often negative viewpoint of mathematics to a positive one.
Jessica Davidson
Major: MS in Mathematics, Concentration in Mathematics Education
Graduation: May 2020
I love the creative endeavor behind what it means to truly do mathematics–whether that’s constructing an elegant advanced calculus proof or solving an open-ended problem while huddled around a virtual whiteboard, there is a certain beauty and perseverance in the process that help us all build virtues to flourish. After graduation, I hope to continue teaching non-traditionally at the undergraduate level, and perhaps one day, I’ll start my own school or math education service!
Cristina Flores
Major: BS in Mathematics and MA in Social Research
Anticipated Graduation: BS – Spring 2023, MA – Fall 2023
What I like about math and my goals after graduation: I love mathematics because of how straight forward it is. Yes, mathematics has a broad range of topics like Calculus, Statistics, Probability, etc. But when it comes down to solving a problem, there is always an answer for everything! Problem-solving skills are crucial for our daily lives and mathematics is one way to strengthen those skills. My goal is to become a Social Research Analyst so I can investigate social issues using both qualitative and quantitative data. I will definitely be able to use my problem solving skills I learned from mathematics and apply it to improve societal issues.
Angela Harrington
Major: Mathematics, Mathematics Education concentration
Graduation: January 2020
Math, to me, is a puzzle for which the challenge and reward of solving gives me great pleasure. I hope to research what mathematics has meant in various cultures throughout history and use that to influence math education so that more people can come to understand and see the beauty that math possesses.
Sam Harris
Major: BS in Mathematics, Mathematics Education Concentration with Teacher Certification in Mathematics (Preschool – Grade 12)
Graduation: May 2022
As Tina Fey once wrote, I believe math is beautiful because “it is the same in every language.” Math allows us to understand the world around us and investigate things that people once thought was impossible to comprehend. I love the challenge and creativity of mathematics and want to continue to learn as much as possible about the subject. I plan to teach high school math in New Jersey and share my love for mathematics with my future students.
Jack Hillermeier
Major: BS in Mathematics
Anticipated Graduation: December 2024
The reasoning for doing Mathematics to me was actually Calculus itself. I may be one of the only people to say that I love Calculus I, but truly I do. Learning the language of Math, and truly making sense of all the previous Math I learned really made me want to further my education in it. I really have already made some great connections in the math department, and hope to do further research in the future here! The Math community has some great people involved in it who are really there to help you. After I graduate, I have to make my choice in either getting a masters in either Math or Education, or just sticking with my Bachelors. I’m open to do anything with this, and that’s part of the reason a Math degree is so great!
Roland Hutchinson
Major: MS in Mathematics, Concentration in Pure Mathematics
Graduation: May 2022
What’s not to like about math?
Mathematics provides scope for human creativity at the highest levels, just like (for example) art, music, or literature. That’s not too shabby for a discipline all of whose products are essentially elaborate tautologies! Math furnishes remarkable tools for understanding the physical world, but that is not my reason for doing math. (Others feel differently; that’s okay, too.) Mathematical discoveries endure: the Pythagorean Theorem, known from antiquity in many parts of the world, is Still Valid After All These Years.
My goal, unlikely to be achieved, is to keep on learning mathematics until I am content with the amount that I know. Maybe I can discover a few new bits in the meanwhile, maybe induce a few others to recognize the nature and value of mathematics.
Allyn Lilien
Major: Combined B.S./M.A.T. in Mathematics with Teacher Certification in Mathematics and Teacher of Students with Disabilities. Minor in Leadership Development Through Civic Engagement.
Graduation: May 2020 (for B.S.), May 2021 (for M.A.T.)
I enjoy math as it is so important and relevant in everyday life. In addition, I enjoy working on problems which can be solved or approached in so many ways to arrive at the same answer. I intend to be a math teacher in a middle school or high school with the possibility of becoming an administrator in my future.
Rachel Lopez
Major: BS (Mathematics) / MS (Mathematics)
Graduation: May 2021/2022
Math has always been my favorite subject throughout my years in school. I like being able to challenge myself and think outside of the box when it comes to math problems. After finishing this program, my goal is to earn a PhD and become a professor.
Nina Mammana
Major: BS in Mathematics, P-12 Teacher Education Program
Graduation: May 2022
I have always loved mathematics because I enjoy using logic to solve problems. I am also attracted to the beauty of mathematics as it is the fundamental means for creativity and understanding the world. After I graduate, I plan to teach in a middle school or high school classroom as well as apply for graduate school in time.
Imani L. Mosquera
Major: MS in Mathematics
Graduation: May 2022 and not a second later
I don’t like math—I love it! Math is honest; she’s not going to lie about your abilities or switch up the rules mid-game. It’s very much a “you get out what you put in” situation so I put my all into being the greatest mathematician I can be. Math is a secret code that allows me to interpret the world in ways that other can’t. I love teaching and encouraging other little Black girls and mini-Latinas to become mathematicians despite our still-old-timey world that tells girls that STEM is a “man’s field”. Hopefully, seeing me teach the socks off a person reaches one girl and shows her that she can do it, too. After I graduate with my master’s degree, I plan to pursue my dream career as a Pure Math professor to fund my next degree—Dr. Imani L. Mosquera coming soon!
Georgi Naumov
Major: BS in Mathematics and BA in Economics
Graduation: December 2023
I like mathematics because it is the language of nature. Mathematics gives us the opportunity to explore nature and discover new things about it. With its use our imagination widens and it is an equipment that gives us confidence to unveil the secrets of our world. After graduation, I want to continue gaining knowledge about mathematics with enrolling into a graduate school. Then I will be able to jump into the beautiful opportunities that this science provides and apply my knowledge in other areas of the natural sciences. I still am unsure in what area of study I want to be working in the future, but I am open to engage in different jobs that include mathematics.
John O’Meara
Major: MS in Mathematics, Concentration in Mathematics Education
Graduation: May 2022
What I find most engaging about math is the ability to generate patterns of thought through precise and logical statements and conclusions; there is so much power in the structures that we as a society study through mathematics, and I look forward to continuing to gain deeper insight into these connections as I continue my studies! Currently, I plan to continue working on completing my actuarial exams as I seek out Ph.D. programs to continue on my path into academia.
Joseph Pateras
Major: Pure and Applied Mathematics
Graduation: May 2020
I love the universality of mathematics and its boundless implementations. My goal is to earn a PhD after finishing my M.S.
Ely Schudrich
Major: Mathematics
Graduation: January 2020
I really enjoy understanding how math can be used to explain everything we know about the universe; the motion of planets, the orbits of electrons around the nucleus of an atom, and everything in between. My goal is to pursue a PhD is pure mathematics and eventually become a professor so I can research and teach math for the rest of my life.
Sam Sigmund
Major: Mathematics
Graduation: Spring 2021
I like math because I like problem solving and puzzles. I have always enjoyed math and science because it comes to me more naturally than other subjects. After graduation, I plan on continuing to pursue my career in the Air National Guard as an intel analyst.

Nikki Sterling
Major: Math Education
Graduation: January 2021
The thing I love the most about math is the way it can connect you so much more to the world around you. Math is how the Universe speaks to us, and learning the language of the universe feels very powerful. My goal for my career is to become a high school mathematics teacher who can make my students feel at least a little bit of the magic that I feel when working with mathematics, and barring that at least show them that everyone has a math brain – you just need some practice using it.
Erick Tapia
Major: BS in Mathematics/BS in Computer Science
Graduation: May 2023
Plenty have been the problems I solved throughout my journey to be here today. I hope to fulfill my dream to help others with my knowledge and guide them based on my experience. I study with the intent of innovating society one day…

Through Mathematics, I have been able to accomplish meaningful goals: I tutor to inspire and encourage people to dream bigger, I keep learning to sharpen my proficiency in problem solving, I use my knowledge to offer significant solutions. The presence and use of Mathematics are boundless! It expresses itself in nature, technology, economy, and hence society itself. As mathematicians, we not only analyze numbers but also use logical reason and facts to reach conclusions, which help us find answers in the pursuit of truth.