To me, Mathematics is so many things beyond just numbers. Math is an explanation to how the world works and how everything in it behaves. Each math problem is a new puzzle that can only be solved with critical thinking and creativity. And those skills learned in these problems apply to everything outside of it, reshaping the world around you. Being a person who is so deeply involved in math but also music, it adds a new depth to every note I hear and every note I sing. It creates a new deeper connection to the art I create that I would never be able to achieve otherwise, connecting both the left and right side of my brain in the most beautiful, logical, and artistic ways. I would like to go further in my mathematics education, working towards my masters and a PhD degree so I can become a college professor and spread the same joy I see in mathematics to others.
Alex Brown
Major: Combined BS/MAT in Mathematics with Teacher Certification in Mathematics and Teacher of Students with Disabilities
Anticipated Graduation: May 2026 (BS) and May 2027 (MAT)
Ever since I was a young kid, I have always really loved numbers, and due to this, I began to love mathematics. Whether it’s sports statistics or attributes in a video game, I have always had mathematics and numbers at the core of all of my interests. As an avid runner, there is really so much mathematics and data involved in long-distance running, and I love being able to bring mathematics into new contexts. After I graduate, I will become a high school mathematics teacher, as I have a love for both numbers and helping people learn. One day, I would love to continue my mathematics education and possibly go into the field of sabermetrics within professional baseball.
Kiki Couchman
Major: BS in Mathematics
Anticipated Graduation: May 2025
Anyone who has studied with me knows that my favorite question to ask is “why?” No matter the subject, I’m always looking for a reason why things are the way they are; why I have to follow certain rules; why certain words mean what they do. What I love so much about math is that there is (usually) always a reason why a formula is what it is, or why an order of operations must be followed, etc. I love the infinite number of eureka moments I can have with math, and I love that we can find math in everything from language to cooking to music to medicine; it is the foundation of all things. With my degree, I hope to have a better understanding of life, and to use my degree to advance my career in the veterinary world.
Annabella Ganun
Major: BS in Mathematics
Anticipated Graduation: May 2026
To me, math is something I’m passionate about and a lot of it stems from the feeling I get when I finally understand how to solve a problem and get that a-ha moment. Math is the greatest puzzle to me; you can keep failing to find a solution, but if you look at all the work you’ve done it’s teaching you something. I’ve also had so many amazing teachers along my journey that inspired me and made me believe I could handle this path. I hope to continue into a masters program for math and use not only the math concepts I’ve learned, but the problem solving strategies and perseverance to find ways to help others.
Nyaisha Green
Major: BS in Mathematics
Anticipated Graduation: May 2026
When I was a kid, I loved reading and writing. I always excelled in all subjects, but math was never necessarily my favorite. Then, one day in fifth grade, the teacher put letters next to the numbers and I fell in love. My journey to learning mathematics has been a rollercoaster to say the least. The constant ups and downs of getting stuck on something for weeks and then finally having those eureka moments make it all worthwhile. I have a deep passion for math, and my time at Montclair has helped me to develop a great deal of respect for this miraculous subject. I also enjoy teaching mathematics to others, as I work for the tutoring center as a Supplemental Instructor and I want to be a professor in the future. My favorite branches of mathematics are (in no particular order) geometry, trigonometry, algebra, ordinary differential equations, and single and multivariate calculus.
Lauren Khalil
Major: BS in Mathematics
Anticipated Graduation: May 2028
Math is something I grew to love during high school, despite that being the time I struggled the most with the subject. It was then that I began to notice math all around me and realize just how universal it is. In everything you see and everything you do, math is there. I find it remarkable how ubiquitous math is; it is easily the closest thing we have to a universal language, which is fascinating in its own right. Another thing I love about math is how interconnected it is; no concentration of mathematics exists in a vacuum. All kinds of math and all of their applications are related to one another, something that has created the ever-expanding web that is math as we know it. After graduation, I hope to either build an understanding and appreciation of mathematics in the classroom or to pursue a career in applied mathematics.
Preston Pietruszewski
Major: Combined BS/MAT in Mathematics with Teacher Certification in Mathematics and Teacher of Students with Disabilities
Anticipated Graduation: May 2026 (BS) and May 2027 (MAT)
Something interesting about math is how it is intertwined with everything in life. Science, cooking, the human body, nature and much more! That’s what I love about math, the immense variety of it. There are so many different branches of mathematics and even more unknown information about them. I hope that my love for math can be transferred to my students, the future mathematicians of our world!
