Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Garden City NY

Michael Kimmel

Michael is the Center Director for Mathnasium of Garden City & Mineola and serves as Deputy Director in Mathnasium of Bayside.

Michael grew up in nearby Baldwin and attended the University of Virginia, where he received his B.A. in Mathematics and B.A. in Psychology. Subsequently, he completed his post-graduate work in Secondary Education in Mathematics at Queens College. Michael has well over a decade of tutoring experience throughout NYC and Nassau, spanning SAT tutoring and private prep classes. Prior to heading up our Garden City & Mineola center, Michael had been with Mathnasium of Bayside for nearly seven years and developed a reputation among our families and the community as a trusted mentor.

In his spare time, Michael might be seen and (heard!) playing trumpet with popular cover band Sons of Sanford while performing rock and R&B classics across Long Island and at various benefits, including Arnoldstock, which supports Autism awareness. You may have also caught Michael diving for line drives in his baseball gear, snagging outs from hopeful hitters! He played organized baseball as an adult for over 15 years and led his team as the manager for a few of those. With his love of numbers and love for baseball, we might just have started calling him Bayside Billy Beane!

If you guessed that Michael’s favorite shape is the parabola and equation is quadratic, you are correct! He loves teaching and solving problems involving the Quadratic formula, and can talk poetically about its applications everywhere in our everyday lives!

Dr. Roseanne Gatto

Roseanne is a Queens native who grew up in nearby Howard Beach. After attending St. Francis Prep High School, she continued her undergraduate studies locally at St. John’s University and then the CUNY Graduate Center for her Master's Degree. She received her doctorate in Composition and Rhetoric from IUP and is a tenured faculty member of the Department of Core Studies at St. John’s University. In addition to teaching writing, she participates in mentoring and recruiting bright students at local and national levels. As a former high school teacher and now a mother of two, Roseanne is involved with the DOE as well as several local Catholic Schools. She is an expert in academic assessment and development with an eye on equity. She participates in recruiting events across the country.

Roseanne brings her love of teaching at all levels to all aspects of her life and is especially excited to work with Mathnasium families to build confidence in children of all aptitude. Her primary focus areas are marketing, outreach, and evaluation of center operations and employee relations.

In her spare time, Roseanne enjoys spending time with her children and her best four-legged friend, Reba.

Jaclyn Petrowski

Jackie was born and raised in Mineola and graduated with a masters in Math Education from Adelphi University in 2012. She worked as a teaching assistant in Math in West Hempstead until 2017 before switching to work full time at the Mineola Library. (As you have noticed, she really really likes this part of Long Island and cannot get enough of Mineola!) Jackie tutors many levels of mathematics, and has significant experience preparing students for SAT/ACT math and entrance exams for Catholic schools.

Infinity is Jackie’s favorite number, and she is a big crafter. She loves to personalize pretty much anything, for any holiday. She even started an Etsy business with her crafting skills to satisfy her crafting crave! Jackie is also a Harry Potter fanatic, so of course her favorite books are the Harry Potter series. Care to guess what Hogwarts house the Sorting Hat would place her in?

When she’s not instructing at Mathnasium or working at the library, you might find Jackie reading with at least 2 books on at her side or in a craft store, conjuring up new magical creations for her own store!

Jack Caldara

Jack was born in Bronxville, NY but was raised and lives in Garden City. He currently attends Garden City High School, where he excels in all subjects but stands out in math. He just loves it!

Jack can solve a Rubik's Cube faster than most people in Long Island. His record is well under a minute. But, that's not even his most impressive Rubik's feat. If you give him a Cube he can solve it behind his back! We even have video of him doing this as far back as elementary school. Wow!

Jack's favorite number is Pi: he has always been fascinated with how it relates to all numbers regarding a circle. Even though it’s an irrational number, it just makes so much sense!

If you guessed that The Shawshank Redemption was his favorite movie and that Douglas Adams was his favorite author, you are 100% correct. But did you also guess that his favorite food is steak from Peter Luger’s?

If he can find time to relax in between all his obligations, you might find Jack at Broadway Park playing volleyball or at Hemlock or Stratford Park playing soccer with his friends.

Parwinder Kaur

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Parwinder grew up in Woodbridge, Virginia but now lives in New York and attends high school in West Hempstead where she is receiving her advanced diploma in science and math. During her free time, she interns with George Mason University's Mentorship Program and is also the President of We Are The Future of Medicine.

Parwinder's favorite number is 14 because she was born on the 14th and he favorite drink is the mango lassi! Yum yum! And if you guessed that her favorite sport involves the fastest moving object in ALL of sports... you are correct! But if you guessed golf, squash, Jai Alai, tennis, or baseball... you were close but not quite right. Her favorite sport is badminton! And yes that badminton birdie has clocked in at over 300 miles-per-hour. Wow!

When Parwinder isn't at Mathnasium or at one of her after-school activities, she can be spotted at home relaxing and watching dramas.

Carim J.

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Carim is a Hempstead native who currently attends St. Mary's High School in Manhasset.

His favorite pastimes are playing tennis and singing, and he also loves to solve riddles. While we're at it, here's a riddle: How many sides does a circle have? (The answer is TWO... the inside and the outside! Get it?)

Now back to some serious fun facts about Carim. His favorite shape is the triangle for two wonderful reasons: 1) he loves how fun proofs are when they involve triangles, and 2) he loves that the triangle has been proven to be the strongest shape! Carim is a huge fan of Marvel characters and his favorite hero from the franchise is Doctor Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme's magic is just so powerful and enthralling!

When Carim's not at Mathnasium, you might spot him at the mall, hanging out with friends, or at a volunteer event at school!

Jonathan S.

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Jonathan grew up in Garden City and currently attends Garden City High School, where he is an active member of the band and is a stellar math & sciences student as well as an all-around academic.

Jonathan loves learning new instruments and playing music. If you guessed that his favorite shape is the triangle, you are correct! But if you want to know if that's also his instrument of choice... well, you'll have to ask him yourself. Now, if you also guessed that his favorite hero is Iron Man, you are on a roll! We know that Tony Stark is from Long Island, and went to MIT at 15 to study engineering... Could you be following in his footsteps, Jonathan? (For fact-checkers, Stark Industries is in midtown Manhattan but Tony is indeed from out east! Click HERE for proof.)

When he's not at Mathnasium or at school (or maybe building a high-tech suit?), you might see Jonathan at the Garden City Marching Band!

Patrick Heavey

Patrick is a distinguished graduate of Fordham University, where he was on the Dean’s list and received various scholarships. He received a BA in Communication & Culture, obtained a Minor in English, and wrote for several university publications. He is also a graduate of our own Garden City High School, where he excelled as a student. He earned perfect scores (!!) on various SATs… but Patrick won’t tell you that so we’re bragging about it for him here! He has also assisted in the classroom in our very own St. Anne’s School, and is currently preparing for law school.

Sadly, Patrick is a long-suffering Mets fan alongside several others on our team, but on a positive note, he is also a skier! You might want to ask him what his favorite shape is… could it be a diamond for the baseball field or the black diamonds of the slopes? One thing we know for sure is his favorite number is “i.” We bet it was unreal when he started learning about imaginary numbers! Get it? 😀

If you guessed that his favorite show was Mad Men and his favorite movie is Mulholland Drive… you are a genius. Patrick must really love Patrick Fischler, who appears in both… or wait maybe is it because they share the same first name? When you don’t find Patrick at Mathnasium, writing an article, or preparing for law school… you guessed it… you’ll probably find him at a movie theater!

Daby Mahgoub

Daby was born in Maryland but grew up on the Mediterranean, off the coast of Egypt. She graduated from the University of Alexandria with a Bachelor of Finance & Accounting and a diploma in General Education. Daby has extensive experience teaching math in American and British schools across the Middle East and the US for nearly two decades. Daby is also well-versed in leading teams of teachers, which she did in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. She is living proof that math is truly universal --it’s super exciting to have Daby bring her international teaching expertise to Mathnasium!

Daby loves to swim in oceans and seas, or as she calls it: maritime swimming! Linear functions are her favorite because they are everywhere. Whether it’s how far a person travels over time, the number of heartbeats throughout the day, or even calculating the cost of an Uber ride, you’ll find some variant of y = mx + b somewhere! PS If you just recognized the formula for a line in slope-intercept format… you’re awesome!

Daby’s hero is… you guessed it… her dad! Her father received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University and has been her source of inspiration and pride in the US Middle East, where he also served as an Army Engineering and Control Systems instructor for many many years! What a motivating and incredible story Daby brings with her everywhere she goes!

Kaitlyn McGovern

Kaitlyn is a senior at Carle Place Middle Senior High School, born with a clear aptitude for athletics and academics. She has not only been on the “A” Honor Roll at school every single quarter of high School, where she has also achieved the National Honors Society, Math Honors Society, English Honors Society (and a bunch bunch more… you get the point!), but she is also a top field hockey and lacrosse player. Are you ready for all of this? She is or has been the captain of both varsity teams, was a Nassau County All Conference Selection Lacrosse 2023, Newsday Top 50 Field Hockey Players on Long Island, and Nassau County All Conference Field Hockey 2022. If you want to recruit here… It’s too late. She already works at Mathnasium is on her way to college!

If you guessed that her favorite number is 11 and that her favorite equation is the Pythagorean theorem… you are amazingly correct! If you guessed that her favorite sports are field hockey and lacrosse… shame on you because you shouldn’t have had to guess and need to read the last paragraph more carefully!

You should be impressed and surprised to learn that Kaitlyn’s favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird. A book about racism and prejudice, steeped with moral integrity, humor, and a loss of innocence… that’s deep for anyone at any age and should make you want to (re)read the book right now! Remember, mockingbirds… "They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us."

Now, for an important fun fact that many people don’t know about Kaitlyn, and which will uplift you from the depth of her literacy… is that she can sing! (Maybe we can get her to sing her heart out for us at Mathnasium!)

Zahin Ritee

Zahin is earning her physics degree at Adelphi University in conjunction with a Joint Degree from Columbia University in Civil Engineering. She grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh and moved to New York just a few years ago. Zahin has received countless high-school and undergraduate awards and scholarships for academic excellence in her short time here. She is also a recipient of the National Honors Society Award.

It should come as no coincidence that Zahin’s favorite equation is F = MA (Force = Mass x Acceleration) as Zahin is a FORCE to be reckoned with!

When she isn’t perfecting her academic skills, Zahin might be heard singing South Asian songs and acting. Over the years, she has won over 30 awards for singing South Asian songs and acting. Her favorite movie is Kal Ha Na Ho, a Bollywood movie –if we are fortunate, perhaps she will one day re-enact some scenes for us in the center!

One fun fact we recently learned about Zahin is that she did not drink coffee until she started working at Dunkin’ Donuts. Now, she can’t get enough pumpkin latte's every day!

Chandani Ramkishun

Chandani (or Chand) teaches Algebra II/Trigonometry Common Core at Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows, Queens during the week but we are fortunate to have her in the center on the weekend! She has a Post-Baccalaureate in Secondary Math Education from Queens College and is an alumnus of Baruch College, where she graduated with honors and double majored in Math and Psychology.

Chand was born and raised in Queens and loves Zumba. She recently picked up volleyball, tennis and basketball... and she is massively obsessed with Steph Curry. She enjoys watching movies, and her if you guessed that her favorite super hero is Captain America, you are correct!

Her favorite formula is the midpoint formula because of how intuitive it is... it truly is beautiful to take the difference of two sets of numbers and just dividing them by two!

If she's not teaching at her school or instructing at Mathnasium, you might find Chand sampling food at a local restaurant, or eating her favorite meal: butter chicken!

Aisha Surve

Aisha attends St. John's University, where she is studying to become a doctor.

She is a Queens native who clearly loves math and science, but outside of Mathnasium and school, she is all about two things: cooking and driving! When she isn't busy talking about her favorite shape (the triangle) or performing her favorite operation (factoring), Aisha might be busy in the kitchen experimenting with recipes and cooking up wonderful dishes! And if she's not in class or at home around the kitchen, you might catch our very own Danica Patrick zipping by you on the road in her car... which you'll recognize because of her distinguished vanity plates! No, her plates aren't math-related, but you'll definitely know it's her as she's driving off into the distance. Bring your guesses into the center... you might get a prize!

William Barlowe

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James Fusco

James lives in Rockville Centre and is currently completing his final year at Archbishop Molloy High School.

He is a competitive chess enthusiast as well as an avid online gamer: checkmating is his favorite move, and Overwatch is his favorite game!

If you guessed that his favorite math activity is using synthetic division to algebraically solve quadratic equations, you are not only quite correct… you're also extremely specific!

James’ favorite foods are pumpkin-based delicacies. He loves pies, cheesecake and spices that are based on pumpkins. Watch out, Fall, because that's when James is on the prowl!

When he's able to peel away from school in Briarwood or our Mathnasium center, you might spot James relaxing by the sand in quiet Atlantic Beach.

Sephora Atikla

Sephora is an undergraduate at St. John's University. She has lived in Queens for most of her life but enjoys traveling overseas, especially to France.

Sephora's favorite shape is the circle, which relates to her favorite foods because many of them come in that shape... pizzas, cakes, and macarons are some of them, just to name a few! Her favorite equation is the y=mx+b, which she loves because of its simplicity and clarity. Once you understand slopes and intercepts through this equation, you can NEVER go wrong!

Her favorite heroes are Thor, Black Panther, and Black Widow: Thor because he is super strong and funny, Black Panther because it reminds her of her West African Heritage, and Black Widow because she is very lethal and stealthy (is how Sephora pictures her alter ego!). She has many favorite movies, but is really just a huge fan of anything Robert Pattinson stars in: Good Time, Remember Me, the Twilight Movies, The Devil All the Time, and on and on! Sephora is also an avid reader, and some of her favorite books are The Mortal Instrument Series and The Hunger Games Series.

Sephora's favorite food and restaurant can be found at a place called O’Tacos in France. It is in her favorite vacation spot and if she doesn't eat there once a year, her year just isn't complete!

If not spotted in Mathnasium, you will most definitely find her eating Korean BBQ with her best friend, Carmen.

Samiha Uddin

Samiha lived in Bangladesh and then Pennsylvania before ultimately settling in Brooklyn, where she now lives. (Side note: if Brooklyn was still its own city, it would be the third largest US city by population!) Samiha is currently at the Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College pursuing a BS in Neuroscience & Computational Design. If you deduced that she lives in Brooklyn, studies on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, and works in Long Island... you are correct and geographically knowledgeable. Samiha is always on the move!

In her spare time, Samiha likes to bake, watch movies, or explore scenic locations with her siblings. She's always up for painting or learning new skills (like ice skating, which she tried recently).

Her favorite equation is the Hardy-Winberg equation (for anyone who needs a refresher, that is p^2+2pq+q^1=1), and it allows you to predict an offspring's genotype frequency for certain traits like hair color and height. It's just another example of how mathematics is all around us! Her favorite character is Tadashi Hamada from the movie Big Hero 6. She loves his dedication and enthusiasm to help people... just like Samiha at Mathnasium!

If you guessed that Samiha loves thrillers and science-fiction movies, you are clairvoyant! She especially loves Christopher Nolan films. When she's not at Mathnasium, you might also catch Samiha working with her hands to build structures. Her family is in construction, and she loves to use leftover building materials to make sculptures and structures. Maybe one of these days she will make a Gaudi-like structure, that uses math and natural shapes that are inverted to create an architectural masterpiece of her own!