Growing up, I always had a particular knack for mathematics and logic.

However, as a kid I
never would have expected that knack to transform into a passion for mathematics, guiding me to
not only study maths during my time as an undergraduate, but to eagerly look forward to continuing
my studies in the field after finishing my undergraduate degree.
I began my undergraduate degree with intentions of studying classical guitar, but having
defied the wishes of my advisor at the time (who swore that math would be useless for my future)
by taking several math classes, I decided that it may be a better decision to study math. Since
changing majors during my sophomore year, I have voraciously read everything I could on as many
mathematicians as possible, taken virtually all of the undergraduate mathematics courses offered at
the University of Rhode Island, and (much to the dismay of my friends and relatives) been endlessly
trying to relay the beauty of maths to anybody who will listen.
There are two primary factors that drive me to continue my studies. The first is a love of
teaching and desire to help struggling students to better understand, and to develop a stronger
appreciation of, maths and the second is a keen interest in the underlying structures in
mathematics.
As a high school senior, I held the position of Pre-Calc. tutor. Having held, and enjoyed, that
position, I was ecstatic last year when I was offered a position as an undergraduate teachers
assistant for a senior level statistics class. Since the statistics class was primarily designed for non-
maths students, many of the students had a very difficult time keeping up with the material. During
those two semesters of having extended office hours to facilitate the high volumes of students, I
realized that I took great joy in helping the students to truly understand the maths that they were
studying, instead of simply memorizing formulas. As well as holding office hours and exam review
sessions, my responsibilities for this position also included grading homework and conducting fifty
minute recitations for classes of thirty to forty students.
My interest in mathematical structures (a term I borrow from a conference I
attended/presented for at Brown College) heavily influences the fields of maths that I spend the
most time with. These include, graph theory (in which I have done some research pertaining to
magic labeling), topology, and complex analysis. My interest extends further, into the realms of
music and linguistics, with the early being an interest in musical composition (for which I have been
learning to play guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, dobro, ukulele, saxophone) and the latter with a
focus on linguistic structuring and logic (I am currently studying Spanish and Russian with intentions
of becoming fluent in several other languages as well as the aforementioned).
During my junior year I participated in an independent study, for which I did original
research dealing with number theory and graph theory. The project primarily dealt with labeling
complete graphs and methods of constructing special sequences called Sidon Sequences (which
turned out to be quite difficult). I gave presentations on the research at the MAA Sectional Meeting
at Keene State College in 2015 as well as the SUMS conference at Brown University in earlier this
year.
Though studying maths at the collegiate level has certainly not been the easiest task Ive
undertaken, by far, it has definitely been one of the most rewarding. Through my studies I have
discovered a passion for teaching and a means of discovering the world around me. As well as an
opportunity to do research and add to the wealth of mathematical discoveries that have been made
before me. These are the reasons that I want to continue to pursue mathematical studies at the
post-graduate level. So that I can do my part to further advance maths both theoretically and
pedagogically.