Our Team at Mathnasium of Sandy Springs, GA

Mr. Sulu

Sulu Jaffer has a BA in Psychology with a minor in Biology and Chemistry from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Prior to attending UCSD Sulu was a Hospital Corpsman working in the inpatient Psych ward at the Naval Medical Center stationed in San Diego, CA. Sulu has experience in operating multiple businesses. In 2016 after having troubles with his own son related to math he decided on Mathnasium as a final place to settle in. Since then Sulu has operated 3 Mathnasium’s and currently focused on Mathnasium of Sandy Springs as the Center Director. 

“I can’t believe some of the kids I enrolled in Mathnasium as kindergarteners are now in Middle School and I love that Mathnasium has helped them excel. 

In his spare time Sulu trains for triathlons and ultras, as well as high-performance driving events at local race tracks. He is married and has three children: a college freshman, and twin girls in middle school. His favorite number is lucky 7 and his race car number is 604.

Mr. Celso

Celso graduated with a B.S. in Systems Engineering with a minor in Computer Science from Washington University in St. Louis. He lived in Washington D.C. for a year and a half working as a Data Analyst for Johns Hopkins before moving back home to Atlanta. Celso enjoys music, reading, and exercising in his free time. He likes to observe, think, and learn about the world and how everything works. 

Favorite Number: "It's not really a number but I really like the concept of base 10. It makes calculations so much easier and is a very intuitive way for us to understand orders of magnitude." 

Favorite Math Joke: "How do you keep cold in a warm room? You go to a corner because it's always 90 degrees!" 

Fun Fact: "When I was younger I was obsessed with soccer and I would play with the ball for hours. I got pretty good at a couple of tricks....my favorite being the classic 'around the world'!" 

"I love Mathnasium because it's a fun environment where complicated math topics are broken down into friendly, easy-to-understand pieces. Helping a student see and understand math concepts is very rewarding!"

Mr. Daniel

Dan is an environmental science major at KSU, where he is on the Dean's List. He also is an Eagle Scout, and enjoys spending his time outdoors and playing music! 

Favorite Number: "4; it's a pair of pairs! It's also fundamental in music." 

Favorite Math Joke: "Three statisticians go out hunting together. After a while, they spot a solitary rabbit. The first statistician takes aim but overshoots. The second aims but undershoots. The third shouts out "We got it!" 

Fun Fact: "My favorite animal is the deer." 

"I love Mathnasium because I can actually see students' progression tangibly as they learn and master new math topics and reinforce their existing knowledge."

Ms. Dior

My name is Dior Athj and I am a senior at North Springs High School. I am a part of the Math and Science Magnet Program and in the top 30 of my grade. 

Favorite Number: "11 because I was born November 11th, 11/11" 

Favorite Math Joke: "Of all the primes, 2 is the oddest" 

Fun Fact: "I lived in Senegal until the age of 10" 

"I love Mathnasium because I am learning new ways to solve math problems I would have never thought of despite being obvious. I am gaining a new perspective"

Ms. Munmun

Munmun has been an instructor at Mathnasium for almost a year now. She studied Chemical Engineering and graduated at the top of her class! She then went to do process design for oil and gas and petrochemical firms for 10 years. She is trained as an Indian Classical Singer and enjoys music and dance. 

Favorite Number: "My favorite number is 'one' as it is called a unique number and I value the uniqueness in people." 

Favorite Math Joke: "Why should you never talk to Pi? Because she will go on and on forever!" 

Fun Fact: "1000 is the only number with an "A" in it from one to one thousand" 

"I love Mathnasium because I am passionate about Mathematics and I want to help others learn and love math as much as I do!"

Mr. Hossein

Hossein received his B.S. in Mathematics from Tehran University, and earned a Ph.D. in Math from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He started teaching math when he was a college student, but became more seriously interested in math education, and started thinking about it when he was a graduate student in Chicago. After receiving his Ph.D. in pure math, he continued his career in math education by teaching various institutions, including the University of Toledo, Ohio, and Georgia State University in Atlanta, Ga.

Favorite Number: "0 is my favorite number because of its importance in the development of mathematics throughout the ages."

Favorite Math Joke: "What is a zero degree angle's complement...? Wow....you're so RIGHT!" 

Fun Fact: "I like to do abstract painting!" 

"I love Mathnasium because besides all the great stuff what I like the most is that I get a chance to work with students of all ages; from elementary to high school!"

Mr. Ben

Benjamin Detzler graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in the liberal arts. Eager to engage with both the sciences and the arts, he has coded video games, shot student films, written long-form journalism, and built a computer.

Favorite Number: "9, because it's on the brink of change (ex. into the next set of 10)"

Favorite Math Joke: “J/T = F, where J=joke, T=time, and F=funniness. In other words, the less time it takes to tell a joke, the funnier it is!" 

Fun Fact: "The Truck I drive has over 500,000 miles on it and it's still going strong!" 

"I love Mathnasium because explaining how math works to someone else helps both of us appreciate it more."

Mr. Robbie

My name is Robert Mosley Day. I am a 12th grader at Innovation Academy. I like to play video games and cook. 

Favorite number: "5 because its multiples have the least variation in their unit digits." 

Favorite math joke: “Why was math class so long? The teacher kept going off on a tangent.” 

Fun Fact: "I was one of the first students taking AP Precalculus." 

I love Mathnasium because it makes math more accessible and understandable.

Ms. Emily

Emily is currently a student at Georgia Tech pursuing a degree in Biomedical engineering. Her goal is to specialize in pediatric orthotics and prosthetics and improve the quality of life for as many people as she can. 

Favorite Number: "5 because it was the day of the month I was born." 

Favorite Math Joke: "Be rational i Pi Get Real"

Fun Fact: "I enjoy playing the alto saxophone" 

"I love Mathnasium because it creates a learning plan for each child based on their individualistic needs."

Mrs. Hema

Hema completed her Bachelor's in Mathematics and went on to work with data in various tech firms for almost 10 years - she's always been curious about numbers and loves discovering stories hidden in data!

Teaching math in a way that's fun and stress-free is something she really enjoys. She loves helping students feel confident and showing them how math is part of everyday life.

Outside of teaching, Hema enjoys reading novels, listening to her favorite music, and taking relaxing walks in nature to recharge. She is also trained in Carnatic music and loves to sing in her free time.

Favorite Number: "My favorite number is 11 because it's a fun, symmetrical number and easy to spot in patterns. Plus, multiplying it by itself creates a cool palindrome-121!" 

Favorite Math Joke: "Why was the equal sign so humble? Because it knew it wasn't less than or greater than anyone else!" 

Fun Fact: "I enjoy finding hidden patterns in data- it's like solving a mystery where numbers tell the story!" 

"I love Mathnasium because it makes learning math fun and meaningful. I like how Mathnasium encourages learners to become confident problem solvers, build a deeper understanding of numbers, and look at problems from different perspectives."

Mr. Peter

Peter is a senior at Holy Innocents. He loves math and would like to major in Data Science. In his free time he enjoys making 3D models using blender, fishing, playing guitar, and playing soccer. 

Favorite Number: "22, because the product and sum of the two digits is the same." 

Favorite Math Joke: "Why was 6 afraid of 7? Sin (21)...................*Sin(21)=Cos(69)=cos(789)*" 

Fun Fact: "I grew up on a farm in the countryside of England! My school was on a farm and our lunches used the food from the farm." 

"I love Mathnasium because the personal teaching and catered lesson plans help math seem less daunting!"

Mr. Valentino

Valentino is 24 years old and has always enjoyed doing math. He was the leader for his High School robotics team in Maryville, Tennessee, and would often help out the other students with their math homework outside of school. 

 Favorite Number: "12, easier base than 10 + divisible by 6 numbers (which "feels" right)."

Favorite Math Joke: "

Solve for "i"

9x-7i > 3(3x-7u)

" 

Fun Fact: ": I play 6 instruments (piano, flute, drums, harmonica, ukulele, trumpet)" 

"I love Mathnasium, because: It is a great place to find a warm and helpful community that loves math."