Our Teachers
Ms. Virginia Wong, Director and head teacher
Ms. Wong's educational journey took her through colleges in Hong Kong and Australia, as well as through UCLA, and Calstate LA, culminating in a Computer Science bachelor's, a Master's in Math Education, and a teaching credential. With over 30 years of teaching across diverse environments—middle and high schools, math enrichment programs, and countless one-on-one sessions—her expertise is firmly established.
Since 2007, Ms. Wong has dedicated herself to problem-solving classes and competition preparation. Her achievements include hosting numerous national and international math competitions like Math Olympiads, AMC, Math Kangaroo, Noetic, MathCounts, and Purple Comet. Beyond events, she's a dynamic advocate for math education, holding roles as a Math Kangaroo state director and curriculum writer. Additionally, she's the visionary behind Number Tournament.
Ms. Wong's enduring math passion drives dynamic teaching methods, competition leadership, and resource development. A respected figure, she inspires students and educators through unwavering dedication to deepening math understanding and appreciation.
Mr. George Friedlander, Senior teacher
George Friedlander is a math enthusiast. He discovered his passion for mathematics while attending the Bronx High School of Science, a nationally ranked school. He participated in many competitions and programs including the AIME (American Invitational Mathematics Examination), SUMaC (Stanford University Mathematics Camp), and the PAMO (Pan African Mathematics Olympiads). After high school, he majored in mathematics at MIT.
Upon graduating, George decided to teach High School mathematics and Computer Science in Brooklyn. He learned a lot from this experience, specifically the extreme disparity between the quality of math education received by students from minority backgrounds in underserved communities and the quality of math education he and many of his peers at MIT experienced. He would like to address the discrepancies he observed while teaching math at the high school level, and he believes that educating children who are interested in mathematics is key to that.
Leo Rein, Senior teacher
At his core, Leo Rein loves nothing more than to learn and to teach. He graduated from the University of St Andrews in Scotland in 2018, having majored in Economics and Philosophy, and soon after earned his keep in his favorite job to date: an instructor at a nationwide math enrichment organization. In this position, he formally developed a proficiency in teaching any and all math subjects from K-12, and beyond, with Algebra I/II, Probability, Statistics, Calculus, and How to Count to Ten Without Using Your Fingers being his specialties. Additionally, he is known to provide personal finance and budgeting help to friends and whoever else asks for it.
At his job at Merrill Lynch, Leo worked daily with real-life applications of all mathematics he had learned, helping clients manage portfolios, balancing accounts, and ensuring people had the funds to live life as they wanted. He now feels deeply fortunate to bring his love of mathematics and learning to a new generation of the best and brightest.
Mark Lau, Senior teacher
Mark has always seen the beauty of mathematics beyond its place in school curriculum. Raised in East LA, Mark attended Arcadia High School. From an early age, he began competing in various competitions, including AMC, AIME, Purple Comet, Math Kangaroo, etc.
Math did not stop there for him; he also helped facilitate and teach numerous math classes. One of his proudest accomplishments was spearheading the Number Tournament initiative for the nonprofit organization Math is Cool, offering a fresh and engaging perspective of competition math away from the traditional pencil-paper-scantron format.
Mark holds a degree in computer science at Georgia Tech. To this day, his passion for problem solving remains the same. His journey with mathematics has been gracious to him: from priceless experiences with his peer mathletes, to technical skills that have lent themselves in his collegiate and career endeavors, to seeing the beauty of math in everyday life. Mark is always excited to share his love for math.