Growing up, math constantly captivated me. It’s black and white nature, combined with the thrill when more complex theories became gray around the edges. The pathways of logic I could follow in my mind. And the sense of peace I found when I could draw a clean box around my answer, at the bottom of a page filled with neat, ordered lines of mathematical reasoning. People often say that you either love math or absolutley hate it. I feel fortunate to fall into the former group. Math comforted me as a student in primary school, and that feeling has extended into my adult life as well.
My path and journey with mathematics has not been nearly as linear as my feelings about the subject, however. As an undergraduate student at the University of Washington in Seattle, my desire for self-exploration and identity development pulled me in a multitude of directions, oftentimes away from this core interest in logic, reasoning, and mathematics. While I took some math courses throughout my four years, earning nearly enough credits for a minor, my interests in social justice and urban development led me to an eventual major in human geography and a spot in the class of 2017 corps members with Teach For America.
Joining Teach For America, I hoped to contribute to the movement for educational equity, while expanding my own cultural awareness and understanding of our country’s diversity. While I remained unsure how exactly this would play out throughout my two years in the program, I knew one thing for certain: I would teach secondary mathematics in New York City. That commitment launched me across the country, leading to the most significant changes of my life so far, and motivated me to push through many of the challenges of the past three years. Although my experiences in TFA have been transformational and taught me more than I knew was possible about my identity, our society, and the state of education in our country, one lesson stood out above all others for me personally: I realized that no matter how thrilling it can be to witness my students acquire knowledge and discover the world of mathematics for the first time, I missed the thrill of that discovery and exploration. I wanted to continue learning and doing the hard work of mathematics myself, something I felt was missing in my life as a teacher. I realized that I needed to shift gears, but felt unsure exactly how.
The summer after my first year as a corps member offered me the opportunity to dive back into time as a student. In preparation for leading coding bootcamps over the summer for Kode With Klossy, I completed the instructor training, getting my first formal experience with programming. Instantly enthralled with the basic programming skills I learned through this training, I rediscovered the passion that had been somewhat lacking in my job as a math teacher. Kode With Klossy, partnered with Flatiron School for their curriculum implementation, introduced me to a world of opportunity, as I connected with other teachers passionate about coding work. While I loved the programming skills and creative outlets I experienced during my time as a summer instructor, I knew that I needed to find a creative more directly rooted in my love for math, statistics, and logical reasoning. As I connected with more people in Kode With Klossy and had the cahnce to explore programs offered by Flatiron School, I discovered data science.
The moment I applied for a spot in Flatiron School’s inaugural online data science bootcamp, the last piece of my puzzle snapped into place. Talking about my hopes and dreams to pursure data science with the admissions staff reignited a spark that had dwindled as I explored other interests throughout college and TFA. Deciding to enroll in the program felt like returning to my roots, regrounding myself in core interests in math, technology, statistics, and all the passions that make me tick. Although I do not know precisely where my future within data science will take me, I remain eager and excited for all the possibilities. No matter where I end up, I know I will be doing what I love, and embarking on the path I was always meant to follow.