Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Park City

Dena

Dena became actively interested in the education of children while supporting her two elementary aged kids in instruction during the pandemic. Even with high marks in school, she felt her kids were often missing math concepts. After watching an inspiring TED Talk by Sal Kahn about how math builds upon itself over the course of a student’s education and how important it is to teach to mastery, it became clear that her kids needed supplementary math help beyond what she could provide at home. She found the solution after researching various programs and then hearing from Kouy about her daughter’s success at Mathnasium. Ironically it wasn’t just what her kids needed; she simultaneously found the small business opportunity she had been looking for. Everything fell into place given Dena’s background. She has a degree in economics and has spent the most recent part of her career consulting in the adult learning space. This new adventure is fitting, not only for Dena, but also, she believes, for the future of Park City. FAVORITE NUMBER: 13. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why does algebra improve your dancing skills? Because you can use algo-rhythm.

Kouy

Kouy has always had a passion for education and teaching our youth. After graduating from USC with a B.A. in Psychology and Masters in Education, she found herself teaching in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. After 5 years in the field, while she left teaching in the classroom, she always missed instructing the students and the gratification that came from watching the sense of self-accomplishment a young individual would feel when a concept “just clicked”. Now, as a mother, she has experienced first hand how challenging it can be to “explain concepts” to your own child, despite your own knowledge or instructional skill on the subject matter. While living in Dallas a few years back, reviewing math homework and explaining the concepts to her daughter became a struggle at home and Kouy looked for supplemental support… that is when she found Mathnasium. Within months, Kouy and her daughter went from tears at the kitchen table to having math conversations and exchanging fun strategies. Her daughter’s success in the program was not only evident in her grades, but her self-esteem in general. When the family decided to come to Park City, one of the first things on Kouy’s agenda was to find a Mathnasium and get her daughter enrolled. After realizing that Park City did not have a local Mathnasium location, she approached Dena about partnering and the rest is her-story! Opening a Mathnasium franchise has not only fulfilled Kouy’s passion for instructing the future leaders of our world, but also her own dreams of being a successful female entrepreneur while maintaining a balanced work-family lifestyle. Kouy’s ultimate goal is that Mathnasium of Park City will provide for other families the same positive experience, supportive learning environment and passion for math, as it has done for her family.

Marisa

Marisa moved to Salt Lake City in 2020. She grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and has lived in 6 US States and 3 countries! After earning her degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education with a minor in Theology, she worked as a math teacher and an IT analyst. Marisa loves the learning process and talking to young people about problem-solving and how math can be found in the world around them. She likes to read history and science books, play the piano, hike, and play with her two cats. Her talents also include painting and website design. FAVORITE NUMBER: 19. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why is 6 afraid of 7? Because 7, 8, 9!

Tess

Tess moved to Park City from Chicago in 2021, she has always had a passion for math in and out of the classroom. As a former Mathnasium student she enjoyed and appreciated the skills and strategies the program gave her not only to excel in but enjoy math at a high level. She loves to ski and hang out with her friends and family. Tess is currently a Senior in high school at Silver Summit Academy and cannot wait to give kids the same enriching and fun experience she had at Mathnasium. FAVORITE NUMBER: 7. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why did the student wear glasses in math class? To improve di-vision.

Liam

Liam has lived in Utah his whole life. He is currently a senior at the University of Utah majoring in applied mathematics and is a Park City High School alumni. Math is his passion and he loves any opportunity to help others with the subject. Liam also enjoys baking, skiing, and backpacking. His favorite color is purple and his favorite animal is a polar bear. FAVORITE NUMBER: 17. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: How do you solve any equation? Multiply both sides by zero!

Mike

Mike has lived mostly in Park City since 1991 and has an eclectic background of jobs and degrees. He has worked in the fields of biology and chemistry before circling back and focusing on mathematics. Life has taken him to Indiana for college followed by Germany and Colorado for jobs, but after leaving several times he decided that Park CIty is home. Mike has been a season ticket holder for Real Salt Lake Soccer for 13 years now and previously enjoyed coaching high school football and lacrosse. FAVORITE NUMBER: 13. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: It's a shame that parallel lines will never meet... they have so much in common.

Jane

Jane has been a UT resident for 30+ years. Her first career was as a teacher, and in college, she minored in Math. Jane went on to become a physical therapist owning her own practice for 12 years. She also had the unique opportunity to work at the National Ability Center assisting children with disabilities using horseback as a rehabilitation tool. During the pandemic she saw how our youth especially were meeting difficult challenges and wanted to help them experience positive aspects to learning and become confident in their abilities. Jane lives in Heber City with her husband and their 2 horses and 2 cats. FAVORITE NUMBER: 2. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: How do you make seven an even number? Remove the “S”.

Greta

Greta moved to Park City when she was 3 from Sandy, Utah, and is currently a sophomore at Park City High School. She enjoys cross-country mountain bike racing, skiing, and playing in the high school band/orchestra. She has always enjoyed school, really loves working with kids, and likes math. She will graduate from high school in 2026 and is excited to figure out how to make a difference in the world. FAVORITE NUMBER: 13. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why was the equal sign so humble? It knew it wasn’t less than or greater than anyone else.

Carter E

Carter has lived in Park City since 2016, excluding two years from 2018 to 2020 when he lived in New Hampshire. He's a senior at Park City High School and will be graduating in 2024. He loves music and plays the cello for the Chamber Orchestra at Park City High School and the piano outside of school. Math has always been his favorite subject, followed closely by science. FAVORITE NUMBER: 98. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: I saw my math teacher with a piece of graph paper yesterday. She must be plotting something.

Matt

Matt moved to Salt Lake City in 2021. Previously, he lived in Wyoming after getting his degree in Computer Science and working as a website engineer. Matt loves problem solving, especially when math is used in that process. He enjoys cooking and baking, and plays the guitar quite often. Matt is a long-time fan of hockey and coached youth hockey while in Wyoming. FAVORITE NUMBER: 22. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why do plants hate math? Because it gives them square roots.

Meena

Meena has lived in Utah since 2012 and is currently a junior at the University of Utah majoring in Data Science. Math has been her favorite subject in school. She also loves crocheting, hiking, and hanging out with her pets. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: What did the triangle say to the circle? You’re pointless.

Mia

Mia moved to Park City in 2021 from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is a passionate, hardworking student and one in a family of four. Along with her family, Mia has traveled all around the world, from Africa to Italy and this coming year she plans to go to Switzerland and Japan. She enjoys skiing, playing competitive volleyball, baking, and most of all, Christmas. Mia is currently a sophomore at Park City High School and plans to graduate in the summer of 2026. Mia is very passionate when it comes to leadership and solving complex problems, which applies to the Mathnasium environment often. She hopes to provide a fun experience for all Mathnasium students as many amazing teachers did for her. FAVORITE NUMBER: 4. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why did the obtuse angle jump into the pool? Because it was over 90 degrees.

Porter

Porter has lived in Park City his whole life. He is a junior at Park City High School and will graduate in 2025. Among his many talents, Porter is a swimmer and has over 100 digits of pi memorized! His favorite subjects range from Computer Science, Photography, and, of course, Math. FAVORITE NUMBER: 8. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: You know what seems odd to me? Numbers that can’t be divided by two.

Quyên (pronounced Quinn)

Quyên has lived in Salt Lake City, Utah since 2019. She moved to the US from Vietnam (near Ho Chi Minh City) to study Mathematics at Salt Lake Community college where she is currently a junior. She loves yoga, cooking and singing. FAVORITE NUMBER: 13. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: How are a dollar and the moon similar? They both have four quarters.