Ph.D. Mathematics - University of California, Irvine
Thesis Advisor: Natalia Komarova, Ph.D.
Dissertation: A Nonlineaer Approach to Learning From an Inconsistent Source (with some applications)
M.S. Mathematics - University of California, Irvine.
B.A. Mathematics - University of California, Berkeley.
A.S. Mathematics - El Camino Community College.
Being an educator has allowed me to reflect upon my own diversity to help me understand the trials and tribulations that my students face. I am a grandchild to people who have fled a country amid a war. My parents had to learn how to adapt from one culture to the next to raise their Asian-American children during the technological boom of the 90s. My formal education started at the age of five at an endearing learning community. I went on to El Camino Community College to earn my Associate's Degree and transferred to UC Berkeley to complete my Bachelor's. I studied math, biology, physics, and chemistry and became a person of science.
I began my graduate studies at UC Irvine and took my first steps into academia with the guidance of my advisor, Dr. Natalia Komarova. I studied Applied Mathematics and focused my research on complex social phenomena, more specifically on how people learn languages. As a graduate student, I volunteered in enrichment programs such as The Math Community Educational Outreach Program, and The California Alliance for Minority Participation, where I organized math activities in after-school programs and helped prepare new students for the challenges of college.
After I got my Ph.D., I started my postdoctoral fellowship at Dartmouth College. I worked in Dr. Feng Fu's Lab to mentor undergraduate students in various research projects. I spent three years at Dartmouth learning how to coordinate math classes, train undergraduates in research, and focus on incorporating new pedagogical techniques in the classroom.
In 2021, I started my current position as an Assistant Professor at Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA), where I am continuing to teach the bright young minds of New Orleans. Among teaching various courses to help students transition from high school to college, I also am a faculty mentor for the OSU-HBCU Mathbiology colloquium with Dr. Janet Best. I have also been collaborating with various faculty around the community to advance my research in different areas of mathematics and to promote scholarship.
As I focus on my teaching and research at XULA, I will always remember my roots and the people who have given me guidance to help inspire my students to succeed in their studies.