My Math Journey

I grew up in a working-class family in the rural Ozark Mountains of Southwest Missouri. I faced challenges when I was younger, both with affording college education and also with coming-out as a gay man in my conservative community.  Attaining a scholarship to my local university (Missouri State University) and discovering a network of caring mentors was a positive inflection point in my life.

While pursuing mathematical education--and now a career in mathematics--I have built an authentic life which brings me immense joy and happiness. I have gotten to travel the world, experience upward socio-economic mobility, and fall in love---all because I have had the privilege (and luck) to get to follow my dream of doing mathematics often and well, with people who bring light and joy to my life.

I know how difficult it can be to find hope---especially when resources are scare and you are working in an environment where you do not feel your identity and/or lived experiences are respected or valued.  That is exactly why I am writing about this here---because sharing our experiences is one big (and scary!) step towards building a equitable, diverse and inclusive community.

Recently, I have been investing more time and energy in community build for under-represented groups in mathematics. This has included:

• The PIMS Emerging Leaders Lecture Series. Funded by the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences, this is a series of invited and paid lectures for early-career mathematicians, with speakers required to identify as women or non-binary. I am extremely grateful to PIMS for providing feedback and supporting the vision for this lecture series, which promotes diversity and excellence within the Harmonic Analysis + Fractal Geometry community at UBC.

• USRA: A Survey of Integer Tilings in the 20th Century. I have volunteered to lead a group of undergraduates at UBC in writing an expert-level survey of classic results in integer tilings. This will take place in-person from May - August 2025. For my group, all student members self-identify as someone from an under-represented group in mathematics. As part of our USRA community, we will have guest lectures from mathematical leaders from diverse walks-of-life, writing workshops to prepare graduate school applications and personal statements which emphasize one's diverse lived experiences, and ongoing conversations about creating EDI in our local communities.

If you are another mathematician (or even someone interested in math and considering a career in the subject): please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about mathematics and EDI! I am happy to discuss resources which supported my journey, and to give what advice and encouragement I can.