Schedule Free Assessment
Papillion
304 Olson Drive , #113
Papillion, NE 68046

Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Papillion

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.

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.

Math Centers / Papillion / Our Team
Michelle Koester

Michelle Koester

Owner & Center Director
Michelle (she/her/hers) is the Owner and Center Director at Mathnasium of Papillion. Prior to opening her Mathnasium center, Michelle worked as a Vice President of an international in-home care provider, leading a team of business coaches and adult learning professionals. She also worked for a global computer software training company, leading a team of professional instructors in teaching people to use MS Access, Excel, Word and proprietary software applications. She is on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellekoester/. Michelle holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Secondary Education from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, and a M.S. in Leadership Development, Adult Learning and Performance Improvement from Drake University. She has enjoyed tutoring and mentoring math students of all ages throughout her career. The opportunity to do that and to work with a team of passionate, talented instructors make Mathnasium a great fit! This committed group has over 362 combined years of experience using math! Michelle's favorite numbers are 7 and 23. Both primes, 7 has been a fav since she first learned it, and she spent many years wearing softball jerseys with 23 on the back.

Robyn

Lead Instructor
Robyn is a Nebraska transplant from the Pacific Northwest. She works full time as a Kindergarten Teacher in Omaha and freelances as a teaching artist for the Rose Theater and other local performing arts venues. With a Master of Arts in Teaching in elementary and special education, she has a passion for helping all learners, regardless of age or ability, find their inner mathematician! When she isn’t teaching future world builders around the Omaha metro, she can be found making silly jokes as a musical improv teacher and performer at the Backline Comedy Theater in downtown Omaha, eating burritos, or singing love ballads to her cat, Pancake.

James

Senior Instructor
James is a UNO student studying to become a high school teacher. He became interested in teaching because of many teachers who taught him to enjoy learning. He pursued his interest in teaching after he graduated high school by coaching his own high school debate team. That interest turned to passion when he started to work at Mathnasium, and has grown since. When he's not working at Mathnasium, James spends time with his friends, exploring new food recipes or places, or planning his next trip! His favorite number is 10. It's has been his lucky number and he enjoys striving to hit it when he can.

Cian

Instructor
Cian is a junior attending Millard West High School. He has completed precalculus and is enrolled in AP calculus BC. He has used his math skills in multiple engineering courses and the physics class he is taking. Once he graduates high school, he plans to major in Aerospace Engineering while also focusing on Astrophysics. In his free time, Cian enjoys hanging out with his best friends driving around, eating and having a good time. Cian’s interests include playing video games, sports, and working out. Cian’s favorite number is the number 4 because it is the first composite number, the first number that can square root, and is the most pleasing number in his opinion.

Rushikesh

Instructor
Rushikesh is a remarkable individual who stands out not only for his academic achievements but also for his diverse range of interests and passions. As an AP Capstone student, he has consistently demonstrated his dedication to academic excellence. His pursuit of knowledge extends beyond the standard curriculum, as he actively engages in critical thinking, research, and collaborative projects that challenge him to think outside the box and develop innovative solutions to real-world problems. Rushikesh is more than just a dedicated student; he is a multifaceted individual with a zest for life. Skateboarding is not just a hobby for him; it's a form of self-expression and a means of embracing life's thrills. Rushikesh is also a creative soul who channels his eclectic tastes into making music, using it as a means of self-expression. He likes to hang out with his best friends. Rushi's favorite number is 7 because 7 was his lucky number in elementary school.

Jack

Instructor
Jack is a freshman attending Papillion La Vista High School. He is a military child who has lived in many countries including England, Germany, and Japan. He loves to gain new knowledge whenever possible and is always going out of his way to do so whether by participating in his school’s Quiz Bowl (trivia) team or reading. In his free time, Jack likes to play soccer and tennis. One of his favorite hobbies is traveling. He has been to over 40 countries and he hopes to visit more of the US now that he lives here. Jack’s favorite number is 13. It gets a bad wrap as an “unlucky number” and it is just misunderstood.

Atlas

Instructor
Atlas is a student at Metropolitan Community College working on an associates degree in science. They plan to transfer to UNO for a bachelors in Environmental Science, where they want to work on restoring habitats. They like knitting, sewing, playing video or card games, and reading in their free time. They love learning about healthcare and learning new information in general. Their favorite foods are chow mein and bean burritos. Their favorite number is 729.

Katherine

Instructor
Katherine is a junior at Papillion La Vista South High School taking AP Calculus AB. She plans to study Aerospace Engineering after high school. She is interested in aerospace because she wants to design and build rockets for NASA. Outside of school and Mathnasium, Katherine spends her time as Cadet Commander of the Civil Air Patrol Offutt Composite Squadron, and as an attorney for Sarpy County Teen Court. She is also a part of student council. Katherine's favorite number is 5 because she believes it’s an honorary even number.

Fariba

Instructor
Fariba is a graduate student at the University of Nebraska - Omaha. She is good at problem-solving and data analysis. Fariba enjoys working on mathematics questions with adults and kids. That’s why she chose to work with Mathnasium. When she was a fifth-grade student, in a math competition between 129 students, she earned the top score. She was a math assistant for one year when she was an undergraduate student. She lived in New Jersey before moving to Nebraska and has traveled to Washington DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts so far. She hopes to travel to all the states of the United States and then travel all over the world. She also enjoys jazz music.

Owen

Instructor
Owen is taking pre-calculus and has taken AP Physics I and II. He has developed his tutoring skills during high school by tutoring students taking Spanish. Owen plans to go to dental school and become a dentist. He wants to use his passion and interest in the science of oral health to help people. In his spare time, he enjoys playing piano and various types of video and board games. He’s also looking forward to traveling to Spain this summer. Owen's favorite number honor belongs to Newton’s gravitational constant “G”, because it was a fascinating unit to learn about in physics when discussing Newton’s law of universal gravitation.

Samip

Instructor
Samip earned a B.A. in Physics and Mathematics from St. Olaf College in 2022 and an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Washington in 2024. He has a variety of teaching experiences at the college and university level. As an undergraduate, Samip held teaching roles with the St. Olaf physics department, including in-class and lab teaching assistant, and homework-help-session leader. During graduate school, he was a teaching assistant for Calculus II at the University of Washington. From his experiences working with students of diverse abilities, along with his own challenges in math, Samip understands how discouraging it can be when a student falls behind. He is dedicated to providing a failure-tolerant environment where every student can master math at their own pace. Samip believes learning math is a lifelong journey and is currently self-studying machine learning. Outside of math, he enjoys video and board games, jazz music, and weightlifting. Samip’s favorite number is 2 because he was often player 2 when playing video games with his older brother. He appreciates the elegance of even numbers and the utility of powers of 2.

Ashritha

Instructor

Ashritha is a senior at Millard North High School. She has taken many math courses including AP Statistics and AP Calculus. Although math wasn’t her favorite subject growing up, participating in math competitions sparked her interest, and now she finds joy in tutoring others to help build their confidence and love for the subject. Looking ahead, she plans to major in biochemistry with a focus on global health. Ashritha’s curiosity about different cultures fuels her love for traveling, visiting art museums, and reading. For no reason in particular, her favorite number is 2.

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.

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

Schedule Your Math Skills Assessment Today

Schedule Free Assessment
Call (844) 984-6284

Want to join the Mathnasium team?

Are you interested in changing lives through math? We're looking for outstanding individuals with a high level of commitment who are passionate about teaching math. Find out if there's a Mathnasium position that's just right for you!

Explore Employment Opportunities
Papillion
(844) 984-6284
Download Parent Pack
©2024 Mathnasium Franchisor LLC. All rights reserved.