Student: Juliana Dangond

Course: Thinking and Problem Solving: Math in the Real World

Date: July 23, 2022

In this course students developed a deeper appreciation for the richness of

mathematics while further developing their thinking and problem-solving skills. The
course consisted of several overarching topics including graph theory, combinatorics,
probability, statistics, game theory and financial mathematics. Throughout the class, we
studied many non-routine problems that enhanced our study and allowed students to
develop and improve not only their ability to solve challenging questions. An emphasis was
placed on improving both written and oral communication skills in a variety of ways.
Students learned how to write formal solutions. Finally, all pupils had to work with each
other to solve problems as they would in a college level course or in a professional work
setting.

Juliana's work was excellent and marked by her diligence, intellect and generosity.
Juliana's work on her written assignments was excellent and showed that she had a solid
understanding of the work that was covered in class. In class, Juliana often volunteered to
answer questions which made it easier for her classmates to learn. Juliana's generosity
with her time was readily apparent on a daily basis. One other classmate, who was not a
native English speaker, was helped immensely by Juliana who translated a lot of my
instructions and questions to Spanish for her. Without Juliana, this student would not have
had as meaningful an experience as she had.

Juliana's intellect and problem solving abilities were also prominent. Juliana did
especially well in the game theory portion of the course. It appeared that she especially
enjoyed this part of the course, and she was able to make meaningful contributions during
class discussions. The creativity of her solutions demonstrated her aptitude in
mathematics.

In closing, it has been a great pleasure to learn with Juliana this summer. Her hard
work. kindness and talent will enable her to succeed in higher ~ level mathematics courses.
She will surely succeed in the university of her choice.

Sincerely,
Sridhar Nagubandi, PhD.
Thinking and Problem Solving: Math in the Real World