Each semester, I watch my students evolve and surprise themselves with what they can achieve. I created this space to celebrate their unique achievements and to inspire others to take on their own learning journeys. These stories go far beyond grades as they highlight determination, creativity, and a genuine passion for growth. From students with no prior experience in computer science mastering complex ideas, to those building innovative projects that exceed expectations, and even non-CS majors discovering the joy of coding and problem-solving. Each journey reflects the transformative power of curiosity, persistence, and hard work.
"The skills I gained in this course are applicable across disciplines and are essential to my growth as a thinker, communicator, and aspiring computer scientist. During my First-Year Writing Seminar Research Symposium, I applied what I learned by breaking down cryptographic principles (like factoring large primes) for a diverse audience. This helped me communicate complex ideas more effectively, and I was honored to receive first place for best presentation in the symposium."
Achievement: Study-Away Excellence Through Proactive Learning
"I decided to take Discrete Math during my study away semester at NYU Abu Dhabi. I really valued how you welcomed student feedback and adapted the course dynamically to our needs. The final unit on graph theory was both fascinating and fun. I remember one problem I struggled with, even ChatGPT couldn’t help, but your explanation finally made it click. It was a great moment that reminded me how human guidance can make all the difference."
Achievement: Academic Distinction and International Recognition (Bronze Medalist and Team Silver, Open Mathematical Olympiad for University Students)
"I really enjoyed the course, as the examples were useful and the Professor always focused on explaining the intuition behind each concept, rather than simply reciting solutions. I recently participated in a math olympiad representing the university, and the skills I learned in Discrete Math helped me solve the combinatorics problems."
"As an aspiring physics major, I always believed that math and physics are all you need to study nature. However, taking the Intro to CS course changed my perspective; it's not just about dark screens and colorful lines of code. It's about being fluent in the language of nature such that we can now engage with it in two-way conversations, which is absolutely creative and fun!"
Achievement: Developing the Most Creative Project – A Soccer Game, Without Prior Programming Experience
"As someone who did not even know how to print Hello world before doing Intro to CS, this course completely changed the way I think; building my mathematical intuition in the process. While this course does require a lot of work as a beginner, it is the perfect course to show you what is expected of you as a CS major (and even broadly as an applied mathematician).
Achievement: Proposing the Most Creative Course Project on Interactive Theorem Proving
"Discrete Mathematics was a fun one, being someone who finds proofs fascinating, formally seeing how it all comes together was satisfying. One highlight of the class for me was the personal research project we undertook, it did push us to work on new things which we wouldn’t have done otherwise."