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.

Jordan Ner and Lea Ner

Core Team

Both former mathletes. Jordan, a USC Marshall School of Business graduate who takes pride in bringing his mathletes confidence in math. Developing mastery understanding as a mathlete in Mathnasium of University Irvine allowed him the opportunity to develop his math skills as a Northwood High School student, helping his teacher with his classmates understand the topics with clarity. He enjoyed being a part of the soccer and volleyball high school teams. In his desire to achieve excellence, he was also part of soccer and volleyball clubs. As a college student, he was the President of the ICC. While in college, he continued to support other colleagues in math. He understands the power of math when making informed decisions(Is there any other way? B^)). He also enjoys scuba diving. With music, he plays piano and ukulele. Enjoy’s every opportunity to learn something new. 

Lea, is a mathlete of Mathnasium of University Irvine. As a student at Northwood High School, she plays volleyball (team captain) and lacrosse. With her enhanced math level, she believes she will have an edge in future college endeavors. She also enjoys helping others in math. Almost a second degree black belt in Taekwondo. With the desire to take on leadership positions, In addition, she is part of the executive board of the Assisteens League of Irvine (a recipient of the U.S. Presidential award. With her love of singing, she is a choir member at Saint Thomas Moore church. A future math coach in the making..

Sharing some of my successes working with children and my own children

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Sharing some of my successes working with children and my own children

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Ishan Trivedi

Core Team
Hello, my name is Ishan Trivedi. I am a second-year student at the University of California, Irvine studying mechanical engineering. I believe the Mathnasium Method helped me learn math when I was in middle school, and I want to teach others the same method that helped me. I was able to apply the things I learned at Mathnasium in future academics, becoming Dean List at UCI as well as taking and passing 13 AP Courses in high-school. I love to play basketball, Spike ball, and build computers in my free time. I have volunteered at Tustin Family and Youth Center, in which I taught 30 kids how to build robots. During high-school, I was the lead designer at my robots team, where we won awards at regional, state, and world championships. My highest level of math is Differential Equations and Multivariable Calculus. I love math because it contains the reasoning of everything we know today, and how it affects so many different aspects of our lives.

Nadeen Morsi

Team Member
Nadeen is currently pursuing a degree in Biomedical Engineering with a specialization in biophotonics, besides a minor in health informatics at UC Irvine. She has found that understanding mathematics, rather than solely memorizing formulas, is the way she has learned and found the method most beneficial. Math is a significant part that shaped her passion. Academically, her GPA has allowed her to be on the dean’s honor list at UCI. In addition, she is a part of the UCI Biomedical Engineering Honor Society, AEMB. She also received a 1st place in the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair in 2018 and has been part of its Student Leadership Board from 2018 to 2022, serving as the treasurer and head of Media and Communications Subcommittee. She also was a part of the California Scholarship Federation for her community service and academic excellence. Her two hobbies are crocheting and playing the piano. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing chess, going to the gym, and embarking on challenging hikes. She was a member of Key Club, a community service club, in all four years of high school. Currently, she volunteers at the UCSD Health and Scripps Memorial Hospital. She has served as the social chair of the Society of Women Engineers at UCI & as Treasurer of the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) at UCI from 2022 to 2023. She is currently Vice President of AMSA at UCI. Nadeen has taken a wide range of mathematics courses, as an Engineering Major, including Integrated Math 1-3, Calculus 1-3, Statistics, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra. She has always loved math because it has always made sense. Since she was around 6 years old, she found fun in solving complex math problems.

Rajit Swarup

Core Team
Rajit is a Computer Science Major aiming to become a Cyber Security Professional and has been with us since 2015 as a mathlete and now as a math instructor and Core Team member. Rajit joined the Mathnasium team to share his love of math and to help other mathletes gain important skills and knowledge essential to become an effective student and to grow to love math. The reason kids grow to hate math is clear to him. He aims to push students to understand the problem and encourage them to learn from their mistakes and excel while having fun along the way. He has also played water polo during high school and taught kids how to swim. During his free time, he likes to draw on his sketchbook and digital drawing tablet.

Ilia Joharzadeh

Core Team
Hi, my name is Ilia Joharzadeh. I am a rising senior at University of California, Irvine, studying biology. I am on the pre-med path and plan to enter medical school after getting my bachelors. I initially started at Mathnasium as a 9th grade high school student, in order to catch up to my peers after first moving to the US. Due to the special circumstances of my education, I was worried that the task would be very difficult but the curated learning plan and fun environment allowed me to catch up quickly and stress-free. I ended up graduating high school magna cum laude and as a National Merit Commended Scholar. As a college student, I have been frequently on the Dean’s honor list and concurrently with my studies, I have volunteered at both the UCI Douglas Hospital and Kaiser Permanente Anaheim. I have grown to recognize the importance of math not just in specific classes but also as a method of mental stimulation and developing problem-solving skills that can aid in all of my endeavors. Beyond academics, I pursue archery and screenwriting as hobbies. My interest in archery led me to become the vice president of the archery club at UCI as well! In my free time, I play video games and listen to music.

Sara Li

Team Member
Sara has been part of the Mathnasium family since April of 2022. She is currently a senior at University High School and is graduating in June 2025. She is currently taking AP Statistics as well as dual enrolling in Multivariable Calculus (Math 4A) at Irvine Valley College. She hopes to pursue a career in business, specifically in the business management and finance areas. Sara is passionate about both teaching and learning math, which is one of the main reasons why she joined Mathnasium. She loves watching younger students grow and discover the fascination of solving math problems and applying them to real-life. In her free time, Sara loves watching TV shows and is always looking to discover new food places to try!

Thalia Nguyen-Khoa

Team Member
Thalia is a senior at the Orange County School of the Arts in the Instrumental Music conservatory. A passionate educator, Thalia has years of experience volunteering with kids of all ages and backgrounds. In the past, she has led music classes teaching violin to young students, as well as hosted accessible art workshops for youth with disabilities. At school, she is an active Peer Tutor and president of a club supporting children impacted by critical illness. Math is one of Thalia’s favorite subjects because of how many interesting, complex topics there are, as well as its extensive applications in many fields. Her passion for math has led Thalia to excel in several math courses, including AP Calculus BC and currently, AP Statistics. She began teaching at Mathnasium to foster confidence in students and empower them to achieve their math goals. In her free time, Thalia enjoys doing calligraphy, playing violin, and writing.

Sanika Patwardhan

Team Member
My name is Sanika Patwardhan, and I'm currently studying Business Administration at UCI, I enjoy teaching at Mathnasium because I want to make math not just understandable, but also enjoyable for everyone. My academic journey in high school was quite successful; I had a 4.6 GPA and completed nine AP courses. Outside of school, I love expressing myself through painting, drawing, and other art forms. I also enjoy spending time at the beach, listening to music, taking scenic drives, and hanging out with friends. I’ve also been involved in various volunteer activities, such as tutoring at Heritage Park Library and serving as a Junior Instructor of martial arts, as well as a board member of a club. These roles, as well as being Editor in my high school’s Yearbook class, helped me develop leadership and organizational skills. I’ve studied math at an advanced level, including AP Calculus AB, and I find math fascinating because it’s based on logic and serves as a universal language that brings people together. I believe that contributing to others' growth and success is incredibly rewarding, and I strive to make a positive impact through teaching, volunteering, and leading.

Carter Doan

Core Team

Hi! My name is Carter Doan, and I’m currently studying applied mathematics and currently taking single variable calculus. My favorite part about working at Mathnasium is being helpful to our mathletes by steering them in the right direction. I have a passion for math because it involves understanding concepts and problem-solving by connecting different ideas. With developed problem-solving skills, it will naturally allow a person to develop the drive to do better. My goal is to help mathletes be able to problem solve on their own and try to apply the gained knowledge to real-life applications such the power of numbers in using measurements (measure their productivity in an hour and sports like when I did cross-country). The more students realize we need to understand how to use numbers to become better, the journey of math becomes more interesting. Before Mathnasium, I always wanted to teach students about math because I know that math does not click as fast for everyone. As part of my desire to achieve results, I am eager to help those who are struggling to pick it up at a higher rate. My younger sister, as an example, had always struggled with math and I would teach her multiple ways to do it to determine which method suited her better. To this day, she still uses some of my methods, such as converting integers with operations and reading inequalities from left to right to just name a few. In high school, I was part of track and the cross-country team. During my free time, I enjoy playing video games and hanging out with friends.

Henry Dang

Team Member

Henry Dang is currently a second-year student at the University of California, Irvine pursuing a major in Physics with a specialization in Astrophysics and a minor in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. As a Physics major, Henry has taken numerous rigorous math courses such as Calculus 1-4, Linear Algebra, and statistics. He hopes to apply his knowledge in math and passion for teaching to help students grow and develop their math skills. Academically, Henry has made the Deans Honor list every academic quarter at UCI and participates in Physics research at the institution as well. In his free time, Henry enjoys playing the trumpet in UCI’s Wind Ensemble, sewing clothes, bouldering, and trying new foods.

Isabella Yang

Core Team
Isabella Yang has been with Mathnasium since the spring of 2022. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Cognitive Science at the University of California, San Diego. Isabella joined the Mathnasium team to inspire and assist young learners in overcoming math challenges, believing that every student can excel with the right guidance. Her love for math stems from its ability to provide logical solutions to complex problems. Outside of her academic pursuits, she volunteered at the Discovery Cube, where she helped facilitate interactive STEM exhibits and workshops for young students. In her free time, Isabella enjoys engaging in creative hobbies such as baking, making pottery, and ice skating. At Mathnasium, she is particularly excited to share her knowledge of advanced math concepts, such as calculus, and watch students build confidence in math.

Mia Ffolkes

Team Member

Hello, my name is Mia! I am currently a student at UCI, and I am studying to someday earn a doctorate in biomedical engineering. I am teaching at Mathnasium because I want to help people reach their full potential in math and learn that it can be a fun and quite simple topic to explore. I recently graduated from high school as a valedictorian, maintaining a GPA over 4.0 for all four years. I also received the AP scholars with distinction award for passing AP tests. For fun, I mostly like to read, write, draw, dance, run, and roller-skate. I like to draft poems and short stories, and I have been working on my own novel for a time. I like to volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club sometimes when they have fundraisers, and I love volunteering with environmental cleanups as well. When I did track and field in high school, I received a Coach’s award every year I was on the team for my help with leading the sprints team and my optimistic attitude towards every workout and race. The highest level of math that I have studied so far is Calculus BC or Calculus 2. I love math because its like a puzzle: complicated looking, but once you know the trick, quite simple. There is always something new to learn in math, but everything new you learn somehow connects back to the very first thing you found out. I hope that I can help others find joy in discovering the mysteries of math as I have.

Alice Song

Team Member

Alice Song is currently studying Mechanical Engineering as a sophomore at the University of California, Irvine. With a strong interest in math, she became an instructor at Mathnasium in order to help students develop a similar passion for the subject and achieve academic success. Since math is used daily in our lives, she appreciates seeing how big of an impact it has on each of us as she works to deepen both her and our Mathletes’ understanding of math. She has excelled in both high school and college math classes, having completed Multivariable Calculus I and Linear Algebra recently. Outside of her studies, she enjoys playing video games and drawing, and she is currently learning how to box and skateboard as well.

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

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