This week, something happened in MAT 1630 that reminded me exactly why my colleagues and I do this work.
During class, while my students were working on an activity, I stepped out briefly—and I ran into a familiar face in the hallway: a former student from our department.
She graduated with honors this past summer. She was a mathematics student, worked with me on a machine learning research project, and now she’s starting a master’s program in mathematics at NYU Courant, one of the most respected places in the world to study math.
I made a quick, spontaneous decision.
I asked her if she could stop by the classroom for a few minutes and talk to my current students. She said yes.
What happened next turned into something I didn’t plan, but honestly couldn’t have designed any better.
The Best Panels Are Sometimes Improvised
The last part of class became a mini “panel experience.”
My students jumped in with real questions, the kind students actually want answers to:
- How did you get from City Tech to a top graduate program?
- What is the workload really like?
- How many hours do you study each week?
- How do you stay focused and consistent?
- What do you do when things get difficult?
She answered with honesty and confidence.
She didn’t make it sound easy. She talked about discipline, learning how to manage time, and staying committed even when motivation isn’t there.
A Moment I Won’t Forget
One of the things that moved me the most was when she said something very personal:
She told me she once wanted to follow my path—“to be like me”—and that in a way, she’s now doing exactly what she said she would do back when I first interviewed her for a seminar and workshop I co-organized with colleagues from Utah.
That hit me.
Not because it was about me—but because it showed how powerful it is when students can see a future and then work their way toward it step by step.
She’s not just dreaming about the next level. She’s doing the work to reach it.
And she’s already talking about her next goal: a Ph.D. in Mathematics!
“Don’t Listen to People Who Underestimate You”
She also shared advice that my students needed to hear:
Don’t listen to people who underestimate you.
Some people will assume you can’t do it. Some people will try to limit you based on what they think is realistic.
But you are the one who decides what is possible.
Then you prove it through your actions.
She also spoke about being an immigrant and an ESL student—and how she never stopped believing in herself.
Why This Matters at City Tech
My colleagues and I do what we do because we want to see students graduate, succeed, and go further than they thought they could.
This was one of my proud moments of the year, because my current students got to meet someone who walked the path they’re on right now—and is already opening the next door.
Sometimes students need more than encouragement. They need examples. They need proof that it can happen.
This was proof.
To My Students Reading This
Dream big.
But don’t stop there.
Work for it.
Stay consistent.
Ask questions.
Seek mentors.
And when someone tells you it’s not possible—remember: you are the one who decides what’s possible.
