Our staff is built to teach each student individually, to develop the skills they need to thrive in mathematics, and to foster a love of learning.

Ronan Rock

Assistant Center Director

Ronan is a doctoral candidate in science education at UIC and passionate about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education!. They've presented at conferences in three different continents and study how to make STEM education better for all learners! Ronan didn't always find math at school easy so becoming a math tutor is a big deal for them; they love helping students find ways to make math meaningful and fun! In their downtime, Ronan is an avid knitter, crocheter, furniture maker, and chef (all of their hobbies involve a surprising amount of math!). 

Fun fact: Ronan was on an episode of Myth Busters!

Emma Dorn

Lead Instructor

Emma is a graduate of Marquette University, where she earned a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. As a college student, she was a teaching assistant for The Nature of Mathematics and a tutor for Calculus. She was also president of the Math Club and math honors society, Pi Mu Epsilon. While calculus sparked her interest in the subject, number theory and graph theory were among some of her favorite classes at Marquette. Emma enjoys how mathematical proofs allow us to build a toolbox of problem-solving skills, and hopes she can inspire others to find a love for math as well. Some of her hobbies and interests include knitting, cartography, reading, and cycling. Someday she hopes to circumnavigate Lake Superior by bike!


Fun fact: Emma is half of one of two sets of twins in her family!

Adrien Koritz

Education Coordinator

Adrien is a graduate from Oberlin College, where they studied Computer Science and Geology. They and their siblings were among OPRF Mathnasium’s first students when the center opened in 2013. Adrien developed a deeper interest in math while studying discrete mathematics, algorithms, and theory of computation in college. They credit their past tutors for providing the support and encouragement they needed to overcome initial struggles with grade school math, which led them to discover branches of applied mathematics that paired with their strong analytical writing skills. Adrien aspires to attend graduate school for Science and Technology Studies and hopes to address the growing technical and digital literacy crises in their work.

Fun fact: Adrien always has at least three vases of fresh-cut flowers tastefully placed about their apartment!

Jana Frank

Owner

Jana Frank opened Mathnasium of Oak Park/River Forest in 2013 and has since built a thriving, community-centered learning hub. Soon after, she opened a second location in the La Grange area and is proud to bring such high quality math instruction to these communities. With degrees in psychology and education, and an endorsement in mathematics from the University of Chicago, Jana combines deep academic expertise with a love for teaching.  She has been recognized by Mathnasium Headquarters as a key contributor to the Mathnasium Franchise lending her ideas, expertise, and academic insight to help drive the whole company forward. She contributes to Mathnasium’s national curriculum development and is on the Chicagoland Mathnasium Co-Op board, serving as the spokesperson for all Chicagoland Mathnasiums. You can often find her on TV with news clips discussing ways to incorporate math at home! Jana  is passionate about showing kids that math is fun and accessible and inspiring people to see everyone can be a math person with the right instruction! 

Fun Fact: By day, Jana teaches math, by night she flys through the air with the greatest of ease!  In her free time, Jana's happy place is in the air, as she practices circus arts like trapeze and acrobatics. You can catch her every spring performing with the Triton Trouper's Circus!

Anthony Paparo

Director of Operations

Anthony graduated from Elmhurst College with a degree in Mathematics and Physics.  He has had a passion for math for a long time, having previously worked as a Calculus and Physics tutor, as a Researcher in a small physics lab, and as a Data Analyst. His excitement towards helping others learn and understand mathematical concepts led him to instructing at Mathnasium starting in 2015. Through the years, Anthony has held various positions with Mathnasium from Instructor to Manager, and currently as the Director of Operations for the Mathnasium locations in Oak Park/River Forest and La Grange. Anthony is excited to do everything he can to help others become more confident in their math abilities and to serve the communities that Mathnasium is a part of.

Fun Fact: Anthony wishes every day were Halloween!


Ailey

Instructor

Ailey is a student at Oak Park and River Forest High School. She has previously taken Geometry, Algebra 1 and 2, Precalculus, AP Calculus AB/BC, and is currently completing Linear Algebra/Calculus 3. Math is Ailey’s favorite subject, and she enjoys teaching it to others. After her high school education, Ailey would like to major in Economics or Engineering. Ailey is also a part of the softball community. She is a first baseman/outfielder and has been playing the sport for over 10 years. 

Fun fact: Ailey loves to travel; some of her favorite places are India and Greece!

Ana

Instructor

Ana is currently a student at Oak Park and River Forest High School taking AP Calculus AB. Previously, she took Honors College Algebra & Trigonometry and Honors Intermediate Algebra. Ana enjoys teaching others about the patterns in mathematics and exploring how math builds upon itself. Her favorite subjects are History, Spanish and Math, and she’s a member of her school’s Psychology Club, Metalworking Club, and Spanish Club. In her free time, she enjoys folding origami and doing similar arts and crafts. She hopes to use math in her future career through data analysis and statistics in marketing. 

Fun fact: Ana is obsessed with animation and has attended the world’s largest animation festival in France!


Andrew

Instructor

Andrew is a student at the University of Illinois Chicago studying Mechanical Engineering. He is a graduate of Fenwick High School, where he took Algebra Honors II, Geometry Honors, Pre-Calculus Honors, and AP Calculus AB. He is currently taking Calculus 2 and has developed a passion for teaching others all that he knows. Thanks to 10 years as a Boy Scout, Andrew enjoys all things outdoors, including hiking, fishing, camping, and bouldering. He spends most of his free time drawing and listening to music.

 Fun fact: Andrew is an avid woodworking and blacksmithing enjoyer.

Cal

Instructor

Cal is currently a student at Oak Park & River Forest High School. Cal has loved math and helping his friends and sister since he was old enough to write. He has taken Geometry and Algebra I and II, and he is currently taking AP Precalculus. Cal’s favorite subjects are math, science and Spanish. In his free time, Cal enjoys playing the drums, playing ultimate frisbee, and studying up for Scholastic Bowl club at the high school, where he is a math and science whiz. 

Fun fact: Cal is very interested in physics and quantum mechanics, and he is co-founding a physics club at the high school!

Cecilia

Instructor

Cecilia is a student at Oak Park and River Forest High School. She has taken Geometry, Advanced Algebra, AP Pre-Calculus, and is looking forward to taking AP Calculus AB/BC. Math has always been her favorite subject and she love helping her friends and cousins whenever they need it. Cecilia was president of Freshman Class Council, did Business Club, and is planning on doing more clubs like Athletic Student Council in the near future. She has also been part of the OPRF soccer team since Freshman year, and loves playing soccer, baking, listening to music, and hanging out with friends. 

Fun fact: Cecilia plans on retiring in Arizona!

Claudia

Instructor

Claudia is currently a student at Oak Park and River Forest High School taking AP Calculus AB/BC. She has previously taken Honors Geometry, Honors Advanced Algebra, and AP Pre-Calculus. She is passionate about education and ensuring that all kids feel smart and competent. She plays field hockey, plays cello in her school orchestra, and is in the Best Buddies and HYPE clubs at OPRF. She loves to read, travel, listen to music, and spend time with her friends and family. 


Fun Fact: Claudia studied rainforest ecology in Costa Rica over the summer on a school study abroad! 

Cooper

Instructor

Cooper is an astronomy and earth science student. He studies online at Arizona State University. He loves learning about math, having taken Calculus I, II, & III, Differential Equations, and multiple Physics courses. Helping others understand and love math and science has always been a passion of his. Cooper enjoys creative writing and drawing in his free time. 

Fun Fact: Cooper is currently writing a collection of fantasy novels.

Cristian

Instructor

Cristian is pursuing a degree in Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and hopes to teach as a professor for Computer Science in the future! He's taken classes like Calc I, II and Discrete Mathematics and understands how difficult mathematics can be when certain topics aren't fully understood. The desire to teach came from teaching students to code as a volunteer as well as teaching his younger sisters math concepts whenever they needed help. He hopes to create confidence in the students he teaches, so math doesn't become scary no matter what new concept they may be learning.

Fun fact: Cristian moved to Chicago in 6th grade and grew up in Brooklyn, New York!

David

Instructor

David is a graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School and the University of Michigan Ann Arbor where he studied mechanical engineering and physics. David's love for STEM started with his Lego robotics team in middle school. He then did Vex robotics in high school and went to the world championships twice! He also plays the drums and loves rock, metal, and swing music. David uses math every day, and thinks that mental math makes everything in life easier. David loved helping his classmates and friends with calculus, chemistry, and physics, and hopes he can help students at Mathnasium too. 

Fun Fact: David collects Rubik's cube puzzles and can solve a 7-layer Rubik's cube!

Ella

Instructor

Ella is currently a student at Oak Park and River Forest High School and will be entering 11th grade this fall. She has completed Advanced Algebra Honors and AP Precalculus and will be taking AP Calculus BC next year. Ella enjoys math because there is often more than one way to solve a problem while still getting the right answer. Her favorite area of mathematics is geometry, and she enjoys helping others discover how fun math can be when concepts finally click. In addition to math, Ella enjoys studying French and learning about different cultures. After high school, she hopes to pursue a degree in Civil Engineering and use math to help design and improve infrastructure.

Fun Fact: Ella loves to travel and likes to see how different countries build their roads, bridges and cities!

Ellis

Instructor

Ellis is a student of Columbia College Chicago where he studies creative writing. They joined the Mathnasium team because they believe in Mathnasium's mission to make math fun. He hopes to enrich students on their education journeys. In his free time Ellis knits and makes music. Ellis is honing his writing skills in hopes of working in disability advocacy in the future. 

 Fun Fact: Ellis is working on writing a visual novel, which is a genre of video game that's mostly reading!

Han

Instructor

Han was born and raised in the Netherlands, and graduated from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands with an MSc degree in applied mathematics and computer science. Han worked in the Telecom industry for 40 years, mostly in the US, but also 5 years in the Netherlands and France. He has tutored at the Cabrini Green tutoring program in the 90s, and more recently at Learning Edge, focusing mostly on high school Math. Han has always enjoyed teaching and working with kids: he has taught sailing one summer at a Club Med in France, taught English as a second language, coached ice hockey for 7 years, and tutored as a volunteer for 7 years.

Fun Fact: Han has traveled to more than 40 countries and across most of the United States. He enjoys playing ice hockey, wilderness vacations, and sailing/windsurfing!

Jonah

Instructor

Jonah graduated from St. Olaf College where he studied quantitative economics and political science. He hopes to eventually pursue a PhD in economics. Jonah loves math because it can be used to better understand and explain various topics that he is interested in. For example, he is fascinated by sports statistics, leading him to serve as an official statistician for soccer, hockey, baseball, and softball teams in college. Jonah started helping friends and classmates struggling with math in elementary school, and continued doing so through college. He is excited to continue with this at Mathnasium. 

Fun Fact: Jonah is an avid crossword player, and has done nearly every NYT Crossword for the last two years!


Keaton

Instructor

Keaton is a student at OPRF high school. He has taken AP Calculus AB/BC and plans to take Linear Algebra and Calculus. His favorite classes are AP Chemistry and AP Research, which combine two of his biggest interests: science and math. Biology is another one of his favorite subjects, and he plans to major in biochemistry in college. He is a member of the science Olympiad club at his school, and he is a leader for the biology research club. Outside of school, he loves hanging out with friends and listening to and making music. 

Fun fact: Keaton has won gold in an international piano competition!

Mark

Instructor

Mark is a lifelong lover of Math and a recent transplant to Oak Park. He moved here from Texas where he lived since earning his degree in Math and Physics from Washington University in St. Louis. Mark wants to help students see math as a useful tool and a source of joy, not as an obstacle to be overcome. His goal is to ensure that every student – especially those who have felt discouraged in the past – walks away feeling empowered and capable. He uses it in his own life for everything from calculating the perfect angle for a pass on the soccer field to getting the upper hand at board games.

Fun Fact: On weekends, you can find Mark at the soccer pitch refereeing youth matches. One day he hopes to understand all the intricacies of offsides as well as he understands math!

Nitai

Instructor

This is Nitai , he has lived in Oak Park since 2008. He attends Oak Park and River Forest High school, and is set to graduate in 2026. He wants to attend college on the west coast, California, Oregon or Washington. Most importantly, he loves math, and wants to make it fun as it's something that has been marked with a negative connotation in a lot of spaces. His main values are education, as well as learning, and he started working at mathnasium because he felt like he could have a real impact there as a tutor.

Fun Fact: His dad introduced him to skiing when he was 3 years old, and it's now become his favorite hobby. Niati's father introduced him to Mountain biking, as well as road biking, which remain his favorite things, outside of skiing! 

Simon

Instructor

Simon, a graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School, has always enjoyed math and working with young children, finishing AP Calculus BC at OPRF and supervising kids at Chicagoland summer camps with the West Suburban Special Recreation Association (WSSRA) for two summers. Although he went on to study Political Science and International Relations at St. Olaf College, he wants to keep math a part of his life and inspire students to recapture their love for it, as he knows how it feels to be discouraged by it at one point or another. Simon spent ten months in Mexico City after graduating from St. Olaf volunteering at a migrant accommodations center, played the oboe in his high school band and his college band and orchestra, and loves sports of all kinds. 

Fun fact: Simon loves speaking and learning about Spanish!

Sophia

Instructor

Sophia is a student athlete at Dominican University where she is majoring in marketing and sports management. In high school, she took up to AP Calculus BC, which allowed her to build on her critical thinking skills and to believe that she can do hard things. She carries this mindset into her instructing at Mathnasium.

Fun fact: Sophia is from the Bay Area in Northern California, and has an identical twin sister!

Valen

Instructor

Valen is a student from Oak Park and River forest High school. He has previously taken courses such as Geometry, Algebra I and II, AP Precalculus and AP Calculus AB/BC. His favorite subjects in school include Math, Science and History. Valen is an active member of his school's Scholastic Bowl team, Government and Public Policy club, and plays Cello for his school's orchestra. In his free time, he is a part of OPRF's boys Volleyball and boys Soccer teams. 

Fun Fact: Valen can name all of the countries and identify all of their flags. 


Zev

Instructor

Zev is a student at OPRF high school. Zev's favorite classes are AP Calculus AB/BC and AP Physics C, and he always enjoys helping his classmates with difficult problems in these classes. Zev is taking AP Statistics, Linear Algebra, and Calculus III. Zev plans on majoring in engineering in college but has not decided which branch. Zev has been on the varsity wrestling team since his freshman year and wants to continue his wrestling career in college. 

Fun fact: Zev loves to cook; his specialty is probably fried rice!

Brian

Mathnasium@Home Lead Insturctor
Brian has worked just about every role at Mathnasium of Oak Park/River Forest including Instructor, Lead Instructor, High School Lead Instructor, Online Instructor, and even served as the Center Director at the Mount Prospect location. He has taken college courses at the University of Illinois, Illinois Institute of Technology, and Triton College. He loves the moment when a student has a flash of insight that leads them to a deeper level of understanding. When not working, Brian enjoys playing a variety of tabletop games with his wife and friends. 

Fun Fact: Brian has visited every continent except Antarctica.


Owen

@Home Instructor

Owen is a student at Oak Park and River Forest High School, where he is a member of Crest Literary-Art Review Club and Environmental Club. He is currently taking Linear Algebra and Calc III, and has previously taken AP Calculus AB/BC and Advanced Algebra. Owen has had a fascination with math ever since discovering numbers, and he continues to learn even outside of school through video essays and going down internet rabbit holes. His favorite field of math is Calculus (although always subject to change) and his favorite classes include chemistry, math, and Spanish. Owen loves the feeling of finally understanding how a confusing topic works, particularly after trying and failing a few times. He plans to pursue computer science and biochemistry related subjects in college, looking for the perfect intersection between the two. He also enjoys walking his dog Lucy, reorganizing his room, and spending time with friends. 

Fun Fact: Owen taught himself how to code during the pandemic, and created a project with those skills that he still works on after 4 years!

Thomas

@Home Instructor

Thomas is a student at Oak Park and River Forest High School where he plays football as a center and long snapper. Thomas has been interested in math since his elementary school Lego robotics summer camp. He is currently taking Pre-calculus and has completed Algebra 2 and Geometry. Thomas also loves sharing his passion for math and science. He thinks that math makes it easier to understand the world around you and helps in many other aspects of life. When Thomas graduates, he wants to become a mechanical engineer and keep the world moving with math. In his free time Thomas like to play sports, go to the gym, and hang out with his friends.

Fun Fact: Thomas has 47 cousins and 14 biological aunts and uncles!

Will

@Home Instrctor

Will currently attends Washington University in St. Louis.. Will has always had and developed a love for math at a very young age. Math has always been his favorite subject and he has been placed into advanced math classes since elementary school. Will completed the AP Statistics and Linear Algebra/Calculus 3 courses in high school! Will has always enjoyed teaching and helping out fellow classmates with math related problems. Will was also a part of the soccer community in Oak Park and has been playing the sport for over 8 years now. 

Fun Fact: Will has previously played the flute for a total of over 5 years of experience!

Our Mathnasium Mission

Teach children math so they understand it, master it, and love it. Math can change their lives, and they can change the world.

Quote Quote
What I love about Mathnasium is the ability to teach problem-solving skills and make math make sense, while also making a student smile.
Amber W., Mathnasium Instructor

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Student using math cubes to solve fractions
Student working with a math tutor at a local math learning center

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