Notes

For over 12 years, math has been my go-to stress reliever, no kidding. Whenever I got exhausted at doing other homework, I got a math problem from my book collections, taking a swing at it and then I became fully rejuvenated. This magic worked for me, every time. In my school, I was known as “the math guy”. I participated in various math competitions and getting involved in every math related activity I could--from school clubs to tutoring other students. Last summer, I volunteered with IntelliChoice, a non-profit organization bent on providing math education to underprivileged students. Through both on-site tutoring at the Dallas St. Michael Ethiopian Church and making online teaching videos, I was able to assist over a hundred kids from kindergarten through 12th grade. Some kids like Derrick and Aubrey, who were not well-versed in arithmetic operations at the beginning of the summer, didn’t take long to fly through long division problems. Their curiosity and drive to learn further fired my enthusiasm. I couldn’t help but feel elated because I made math a less headache for others. Maybe some of my students will become crazy enough about math, ultimately they can practice math for stress reduction too!