Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Okemos

Kyle

Kyle joined the Mathnasium team in June of 2022. Kyle graduated Fowler High School in 2016, and is currently attending Michigan State University, pursuing a bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering. Kyle has previously worked as a private tutor and a barista.
Q&A with Kyle:
Q: What kind of math do you find most fun (or most challenging)?
A: I find Algebra to be the most fun because of how cleanly all of the rules work together.
Q: What experience or class led you to discover your passion for math?
A: AP Calculus in High School, finding derivatives by hand. It was satisfying to see how the process yielded simple, clean answers.
Q: What's the deal with Geometry?
A: We use math to describe the things in our world we can see. Geometry is just a more direct interaction with those things.
Q: When your parents brag about you at parties, what do they lead with?
A: "He's doing research at MSU!" Something about research is so impressive to people.
Q: What is your most-used phone app?
A: Discord. I use it to communicate with basically all of my friends.
Q: You're abandoned on an island. Would you rather be alone, or stuck with your worst enemy?
A: Stuck with my worst enemy for sure. Being alone can't be fixed, but being enemies can.

Jim

Jim joined the Mathnasium team in October of 2022. Jim graduated Holt High School in 1988, and attended the university of michigan, graduating with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Jim enjoys making computers do silly things.
Q&A with Jim:
Q: What kind of math do you find most fun (or most challenging)?
A: I like questions I can rearrange to a visual picture.
Q: What experience or class led you to discover your passion for math?
A: 2x3=3x2 because : : : is the same number if you look at it sideways.
Q: What's the deal with Geometry?
A: It can be really cool! But for a lot of kids, it is the first time they see several concepts, so they get confused while in geometry class.
Q: I've just looked into the future and have seen that you're on the list of TIME's most influential people of the year in 2043. How did you manage that?
A: I must have been an anti-prodigy. I came up with something interesting despite my age and lack of experience.
Q: It's game night. What are we playing?
A: Rock, paper, scissors... GULPY DRAGONS! (My favorite 5-year-olds now prefer gulpy gators -- which is just as good).
Q: Which fictional world or place would you most like to visit?
A: Hogwarts -- I would probably be a muggle, but maybe I could figure something out?

Ryan

Ryan joined the Mathnasium team in September of 2023. Ryan graduated Grand Blanc High School in 2021, and is currently attending Michigan State University, pursuing a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Ryan enjoys going to the gym, reading and coding.

Q&A with Ryan:

Q: What kind of math do you find most fun (or most challenging)?

A: Differential equations.

Q: What experience or class led you to discover your passion for math?

A: Linear algebra.

Q: What's the deal with Geometry?

A: Not sure, I haven't done geometry since 9th grade. But I look forward to taking advanced geometry classes in college.

Q: When your parents brag about you at parties, what do they lead with?

A: My SAT score.

Q: With two free weeks and unlimited spending powere, where would you travel?

A: Barcelona.

Q: Which historical trend would you most like to bring back?

A: Walkable cities.

Mitchell

Mitchell joined the Mathnasium team in September of 2023. Mitchell graduated Okemos High School in 2015 and attended Purdue University, graduating in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Mitchell enjoys reading detective novels.

Q&A with Mitchell:

Q: What kind of math do you find most fun (or most challenging)?

A: I find solving equations the most fun.

Q: What experience or class led you to discover your passion for math?

A: The extracurricular math classes made me interested in math because those classes allowed me to find out that math could be simple and fun.

Q: What's the deal with Geometry?

A: Geometry might be hard to learn, but I think it's the basis to both logical thinking and understanding art.

Q: With two free weeks and unlimited spending power, where would you travel?

A: I would travel to Japan, because the last time when I was traveling in Japan, it was fantastic..

Q: What's the next item on your bucket list?

A: The next item would be working out to get fit.

Q: What's your most-used phone app?

A: My most used app is a reading app that I can read novels on.

Cameron

Cameron joined the Mathnasium team in August of 2024. Cameron graduated Kalamazoo Central High School in 2022, and is currently attending Michigan State University, persuing a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Cameron enjoys playing hockey and ice skating.
Q&A with Cameron:
Q: What kind of math do you find most fun (or most challenging)?
A: Graph theory.
Q: What experience or class led you to discover your passion for math?
A: AP Calculus.
Q: What's the deal with Geometry?
A: Which type?
Q: With two free weeks and unlimited spending power, where would you travel?
A: South Korea.
Q: Winter or summer olympics?
A: Winter.
Q: If you could instantly be a world-class scholar in any topic, which topic would you choose?
A: Astrophysics.

Maiya

Maiya joined the Mathnasium team in October of 2024. Maiya graduated West Michigan Aviation Academy in 2022, and is currently attending Michigan State University, persuing a bachelor's degree in psychology. Maiya enjoys playing the guitar and going on nature walks.
Q&A with Maiya:
Q: What kind of math do you find most fun (or most challenging)?
I love calculus AB and precalc!
Q: What experience or class led you to discover your passion for math?
A: AP calculus solidified my love of math, but I've had a passion for math since all the way back in early elementary school.
Q: What's the deal with Geometry?
A: I think of it as a more practical application of math concepts. It can be hard but I really like it.
Q: With two free weeks and unlimited spending power, where would you travel?
A: I would travel to Scotland, then do some backpacking.
Q: What's your most-used phone app?
A: Right now, it's an app called nonogram galaxy, which is a logic game involving filling in a grid from numerical clues to make a picture.