Meet the Team at Mathnasium of Park City

Dena

Dena became actively interested in the education of children while supporting her two elementary aged kids in instruction during the pandemic. Even with high marks in school, she felt her kids were often missing math concepts. After watching an inspiring TED Talk by Sal Kahn about how math builds upon itself over the course of a student’s education and how important it is to teach to mastery, it became clear that her kids needed supplementary math help beyond what she could provide at home. She found the solution after researching various programs and then hearing from Kouy about her daughter’s success at Mathnasium. Ironically it wasn’t just what her kids needed; she simultaneously found the small business opportunity she had been looking for. Everything fell into place given Dena’s background. She has a degree in economics and has spent the most recent part of her career consulting in the adult learning space. This new adventure is fitting, not only for Dena, but also, she believes, for the future of Park City. FAVORITE NUMBER: 13. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why does algebra improve your dancing skills? Because you can use algo-rhythm.

Kouy

Kouy has always had a passion for education and teaching our youth. After graduating from USC with a B.A. in Psychology and Masters in Education, she found herself teaching in the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. After 5 years in the field, while she left teaching in the classroom, she always missed instructing the students and the gratification that came from watching the sense of self-accomplishment a young individual would feel when a concept “just clicked”. Now, as a mother, she has experienced first hand how challenging it can be to “explain concepts” to your own child, despite your own knowledge or instructional skill on the subject matter. While living in Dallas a few years back, reviewing math homework and explaining the concepts to her daughter became a struggle at home and Kouy looked for supplemental support… that is when she found Mathnasium. Within months, Kouy and her daughter went from tears at the kitchen table to having math conversations and exchanging fun strategies. Her daughter’s success in the program was not only evident in her grades, but her self-esteem in general. When the family decided to come to Park City, one of the first things on Kouy’s agenda was to find a Mathnasium and get her daughter enrolled. After realizing that Park City did not have a local Mathnasium location, she approached Dena about partnering and the rest is her-story! Opening a Mathnasium franchise has not only fulfilled Kouy’s passion for instructing the future leaders of our world, but also her own dreams of being a successful female entrepreneur while maintaining a balanced work-family lifestyle. Kouy’s ultimate goal is that Mathnasium of Park City will provide for other families the same positive experience, supportive learning environment and passion for math, as it has done for her family.

Rio

Rio has lived in Utah his whole life and currently lives in Salt Lake. He graduated college with a degree in Economics and a minor in Mathematics. He used his degree as a data scientist and worked for a start-up for over 3 years before deciding he liked working with people more than computers. He loves teaching and helping people understand difficult concepts. He is also a musician who teaches guitar! FAVORITE NUMBER: 7. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why did the statistician drown while crossing the river? It was only 1 foot deep on average.

Marisa

Marisa moved to Salt Lake City in 2020. She grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and has lived in 6 US States and 3 countries! After earning her degree in Mathematics and Secondary Education with a minor in Theology, she worked as a math teacher and an IT analyst. Marisa loves the learning process and talking to young people about problem-solving and how math can be found in the world around them. She likes to read history and science books, play the piano, hike, and play with her two cats. Her talents also include painting and website design. FAVORITE NUMBER: 19. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why is 6 afraid of 7? Because 7, 8, 9!

Tess

Tess moved to Park City from Chicago in 2021, she has always had a passion for math in and out of the classroom. As a former Mathnasium student she enjoyed and appreciated the skills and strategies the program gave her not only to excel in but enjoy math at a high level. She loves to ski and hang out with her friends and family. Tess is currently a Junior in high school at Silver Summit Academy and cannot wait to give kids the same enriching and fun experience she had at Mathnasium. FAVORITE NUMBER: 7. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why did the student wear glasses in math class? To improve di-vision.

Jane

Jane has been a UT resident for 30+ years. Her first career was as a teacher, and in college, she minored in Math. Jane went on to become a physical therapist owning her own practice for 12 years. She also had the unique opportunity to work at the National Ability Center assisting children with disabilities using horseback as a rehabilitation tool. During the pandemic she saw how our youth especially were meeting difficult challenges and wanted to help them experience positive aspects to learning and become confident in their abilities. Jane lives in Heber City with her husband and their 2 horses and 2 cats. FAVORITE NUMBER: 2. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: How do you make seven an even number? Remove the “S”.

Mason

Mason moved from Chicago, Illinois to Park City in August of 2022. He has always loved math, and knew he wanted it to be a part of his job someday. Although he is in 8th grade at Treasure Mountain Junior High, Mason is in accelerated math and heads to Park City High School for the program. He plays hockey for the Park City Ice Miners, and worked as a hockey referee before leaving Chicago. Being around kids is really fun for Mason, especially his three younger siblings who he plays with regularly. A job at Mathnasium seemed perfect for him because of his math strengths and the opportunity to spend time with kids. FAVORITE NUMBER: 94 (his hockey number) FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Not all math puns are funny. Only sum.

Finley

Finley has lived in Park City almost her whole life, except for from 2016 through 2018 when she lived in Roland, Norway. She will graduate from Park City High School in the Spring of 2023. Her favorite subject has always been math, which she excels in. She hopes someday to pursue a job in anesthesiology and will be starting her college degree in the Fall of 2023. Finley loves to ski, draw, paint, practice the guitar, play volleyball, and is on the Park City High School Volleyball team. Finley’s favorite color is green and her favorite animal is a zebra. FAVORITE NUMBER: Six (it's a part of the year and the day of her birthday). FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why did the student wear glasses in math class? …. To improve Di-Vision!!

Caed

Caed moved to Park City in 2022 from Ohio to compete as a skier in Slopestyle and Big Air for Park City Ski and Snowboard. He has always loved math and it has been a focus for him throughout his education. He will officially graduate from Granville High School in Ohio in 2023, although his coursework has already been completed. Caed’s favorite things to do include skiing, art, and thrift shopping. In addition to this he also loves hiking and exploring nature. FAVORITE NUMBER: 4. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: I had an argument with a 90 degree angle… turns out he was right.

Lehua

Lehua has lived in Park City since 2017 - previously she lived in Arkansas and before that Hawaii. She is currently a junior at Park City High School and is graduating in the Spring of 2024. She has always enjoyed math and it is her favorite subject in school. Some of Lehua’s favorite hobbies are running, hiking, and being outdoors, and she is on the Park City High School Debate Team. Lehua plans to go to college with the hopes of becoming a surgeon. Her favorite color is blue and her favorite animal is a dog. FAVORITE NUMBER: 6. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: What do you call a number that can’t keep still? A roamin’ numeral.

Jake

Jake graduated from Rowland Hall High School in 2021 and plans to major in computer engineering at UC Santa Barbara. He loves working with children, and some of his hobbies are skiing, skating, and computer programming. FAVORITE NUMBER: "e" It always shows up when you least expect it! FAVORITE MATH JOKE: How does a mathematician plow fields? With a pro-tractor.

Bracken

Bracken moved to Park City in 2019 from New Jersey. He will graduate from Park City High School in 2024. Bracken loves to ski, bike, hike and play lacrosse, and is on the high school lacrosse team. Bracken's favorite color is green and his favorite animal is a dinosaur. FAVORITE NUMBER: 21, which is his number, and his dad’s number, in lacrosse. FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why are obtuse triangles so sad? Because they are never right!

Ava

Ava has lived in Park City since 2010, with the exception of 2019-2020 when she lived briefly in Barcelona, Spain. She is currently a junior at Park City High School and will be graduating in the spring of 2024. Math has always been her favorite and strongest subject. She hopes to graduate from college and pursue a career in the medical field. Some of Ava's hobbies include skiing, snowboarding, running, and drawing. Her favorite color is pink and her favorite animal is a dog. FAVORITE NUMBER: 21 FAVORITE MATH JOKE: Why doesn't anybody talk to circles? Because there's no point.