Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Hayward

Athena Wu

Athena is our center's co-owner and Gabe's wife. She has a B.S and a M.S. degree in Computer Engineer from San Jose State University. She is a Principle Software Engineer at Oracle for over over 12 years and has also previously worked at Synopsis for 6 years. As a lifetime lover of math, she was impressed with Mathnasium after her initial visit with Gabe. She encouraged and supported Gabe in dedicating himself to become a center owner and to help our neighborhood kids. Athena is a loving mother and wife. In her spare time, she loves ballroom dancing and practices yoga.

Helen Truong

Helen is our Center Director. She has a B.S in Biology with a minor in Marketing from UC Riverside. Math has always been the hardest subject for Helen due to the teachers that poorly introduced her to new concepts. When Helen took Calculus AB and BC in high school, she found herself falling behind in class. Not until finding the right tutor did she finally understand how to approach math problems in efficient ways. Because of her tutor, she was able to turn her grades around and achieve high scores on the AP exams. This experience motivated Helen to help improve and encourage other students who may not be confident in their math skills. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and going for a drive.

Sahil Gupta

Sahil is one of our lead instructor at Mathnasium of Hayward. He is currently enrolled in CSU East Bay and is majoring in Finance. He has experience working with high school and college students, working with them one on one as well as within groups. He works part time as a teaching assistant at Cal State as well. Until high school, Sahil struggled with math and found it difficult to understand the concepts being taught to him. His school teachers as well as college professors showed him a different approach which made learning math a lot easier. He wants to help students understand that math is not very difficult and teach them in ways that they’ll be able to understand and grasp the material better. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball, hiking, and going to the gym.

Hannah Ashkenasy

Hannah is Center Lead. She is majoring in Mathematics. She has had a year of experience as a tutor at Chabot. In high school, she disliked math and struggled to see how it all made sense. When she got to college, her algebra professor was able to explain things in a way that made sense to her. Shortly after that she enjoyed math and helping other people understand it too. Her goal is to be a Math teacher so that she can explain it in a way that will give her students a better understanding and appreciation for it.

Joyce Tsai

Joyce is currently a third year student at UC Irvine and will obtain her Bachelors in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2023. She has worked as a high school AVID tutor who specialized in math and has volunteered as a Mandarin tutor for foreign elementary school students. Joyce has struggled with math in the past, but through proper teaching methods, has made math her strongest subject today. She understands the feeling of discouragement when one does not understand a math problem, so she wants to help students that are struggling like she did before. In her free time, Joyce enjoys baking and learning new dance choreographies.

Giselle Gonzalez

Giselle is a third year student at San Jose State University majoring in Biological Sciences. Growing up she always found herself doing better in math and science than any other subject. When she switched from Public Shool to Montessori School she found her calling, her passion for teaching. She finds joy in helping others learn and succeed. In her free time Giselle enjoys baking and going on walks.

Derek Apperson

Derek is enrolled at UC Berkeley and is majoring in applied mathematics. He has tutored in various places for the past few years and is excited to continue tutoring here. Math has always been one of his favorite subjects and it continues to this day. In his spare time he enjoys going on walks with his family and hanging out with his younger brother Sean.

Dana Smith

Dana Smith is a graduate of Georgia State University, she has worked as a tutor for several years and also as an instructor for the International Charter School of Atlanta in Roswell, GA. She has always had a passion for bonding with young people, beginning from her early days working in youth ministry. She recognizes the necessity for critical thinking in society at large and believes that excelling in math is one of the greatest building blocks for it. She has recently started up her own business, Etopia Media, Inc., a social enterprise focused on improving youth literacy. In her spare time, Dana loves to read, write, and play guitar.

Emily Ngo

Emily is a former student of Mathnasium where she felt her educational career was enhanced and her study habits strengthened. She developed a sense of fulfillment and confidence within herself that has motivated her to impart the sense of gratification on the youth. As an instructor, she is passionate about uplifting and encouraging students in becoming successful. She acknowledges the importance of what strong comprehension holds for future success and is keen on facilitating an environment for students to excel and develop a sense of love for learning. In her free time, Emily enjoys watching movies and spending time outdoors with her family and friends.

Casey Tran

Casey is a student at the University of California, Irvine, where she is majoring in Computer Science. She is passionate about using her technical skills to solve problems and make a positive impact on the world. Casey has always been interested in math and technology, and she enjoys working with others to help them understand and succeed in these subjects. She is excited to be a part of the team at Mathnasium of Hayward, where she can share her knowledge and experience with students and help them achieve their academic goals. In her free time, Casey enjoys playing video games, drawing, and spending time with her friends and family. She is looking forward to a successful career in the tech industry and making a difference in the lives of others through her work.

Huy Tran

Huy is an instructor at Mathnasium of Hayward. Math seemed to come naturally to him, though he was kept back by his lack of motivation in homework and study. After confronting his most pressing flaw, he decided to take a short break from his education after high school to pursue personal development. With experience in tutoring his little sister since her elementary school years, he joined the team in hopes of helping students understand math beyond school material. In his free time, he enjoys unwinding with videos, games, or music.

Daryl Tibayan

Daryl is an instructor at the Mathnasium of Hayward. Math has always been his favorite subject in school. He is currently a student at Mount Eden High School in Hayward. The current math classes he is currently taking are AP Calculus BC and AP Statistics and is looking to major in civil engineering when he enters college. He has tutored other students at his school and some of his friends and he is looking to expand his communication skills by tutoring kids at Mathnasium. He enjoys the feeling of being able to help kids learn and understand the math and the concepts behind it. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his friends and family.

Ogechi Achonwa

Ogechi is an instructor at the Mathnasium of Hayward. She will be attending UC Davis this upcoming fall to pursue electrical engineering. She took AP Calculus BC and AP Statistics this last school year. She looks to develop more communication skills and a stronger ability to teach others math.

Emily Tong

Emily is currently at Chabot College majoring in Business Administration and Data Science. She is now working on her transfer application and her goal for this academic year is to earn an Associate Degree for Transfer in Mathematics, Business Administration, and Economics. Since a young age, she has already taken the role of assisting her younger sister in math. Beyond that, she extended her support to friends and classmates, both within and outside the classroom. As she witnesses their improvements over time, Emily is motivated to assist more students who strive to strengthen their math skills. In her spare time, Emily likes to play basketball and piano.

Lizett Morales

Lizett is a current instructor at Hayward Mathnasium. In the spring of 2023, Lizett graduated from the University of California, Berkeley where she majored in Economics with a minor in Spanish. When Lizett was younger, mathematics tended to be a challenging subject for her, especially since no one at home was able to help her with her math homework. It was not until high school where she was fortunate enough to have a fantastic math teacher that math began to make more sense. Since then, mathematics has transformed into one of her favorite subjects in school. Lizett’s previous experience includes tutoring for an introduction to probability and statistics course in college and tutoring young children at an after-school homework program. One of Lizett’s favorite things about teaching is making students feel capable of learning math. It is a rewarding experience for Lizett to see students understand a mathematical concept they had previously struggled with.

Jazely Tong

Jazely is a student at KIPP King Collegiate High School and is currently taking AP Calculus. As a student who used to struggle a lot in the subject, she understands the challenges that students face when it comes to learning math. She knows firsthand how difficult and confusing math can be and knows the importance of having support and someone who can explain concepts clearly. Lucky to have received support from her sister and peers, she was able to overcome the struggles and gradually improve. Now, she has developed an interest in the subject and is motivated to pay it forward. She is committed to supporting others in building a strong foundation and achieving their academic goals. She serves as a teacher assistant in AP Chemistry and a peer tutor at school, supporting underclassmen across various subjects, including math. In her free time, Jazely enjoys cooking and listening to music.

Denise Loke

Denise is an instructor at Mathnasium of Hayward. At a young age, math was her favorite subject. She came naturally to her and she often helped her classmates on math. This sparked her love for tutoring. In middle school, she often peer tutored other math students. In high school, she started her own tutoring club. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with family and watching different shows and movies.

Mariana Juache

Mariana is a student at CSU East Bay and is majoring in psychology. Ever since elementary school her favorite subject has been math. It has always been easy for her to grasp mathematical concepts and she often found her self helping her peers understand. Doing this was very rewarding for her and made her passionate about math and teaching. In her free time she enjoys playing tennis and going on walks with her dog.

Marco Campos

Marco is enrolled at CSU East Bay and is majoring in Business with a minor in Mathematics. His passions include Mathematics, Personal Development and teaching. Growing up his dad instilled a strong love for math which is why he strives to provide the best possible support at Mathnasium. In his free time Marco enjoys reading books, playing soccer, and spending time with his family.