Author Archives: Allison Henrich

Why passing my oral examination felt like a failure, by AJ Stewart

Thump, thump, thump, thump,…. Is that my heart? Why am I so nervous? I shouldn’t be nervous. It’s just a question. Come on, AJ. You know the answer. What is it? I know I know this. Why can’t I come up with … Continue reading

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Leaving is an Option, by Jen Townsend

Living Proof has wonderfully highlighted that most burgeoning mathematicians encounter (and persevere through) self-doubt, setbacks, and failures. These stories illustrate how you can make a place in mathematics. My story is about how self-doubt and a key failure pushed me … Continue reading

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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Chaos, by Robin Blankenship

In the beginning, I had a favorite professor. The early morning class was undergraduate Number Theory, and I often found myself sitting outside the room taking notes through the window, too embarrassed to enter late. I visited his office every … Continue reading

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How did it go? Reflections on teaching college math during a pandemic, by Allison Henrich and Matthew Pons

“Overwhelmed.”  “Drowning.”  “Exhausted.” This is how math faculty were doing as they finished up their fall terms in one of the most challenging years that many people on this planet have ever endured. We asked several math professors to respond … Continue reading

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To All the Minhyes out There: Walking Through an Unconventional Journey, by Minhye Lee

Like any ordinary immigrants would do, my parents and I followed my new school counselor’s advice: begin school as a freshman instead of a sophomore so that I could have enough time to improve my English. I was 16 but … Continue reading

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Persevere and succeed, by Jeanette Shakalli

I had always been a straight A student. Everybody at the Episcopal School of Panama knew that I had the highest GPA in my class. In particular, I was really good at math since I inherited a passion for mathematics … Continue reading

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Finding my niche, by Allison Henrich

When I interviewed for my tenure-track job at Seattle University, I admitted to the chair of the department during my on-campus interview that I was really much more interested in teaching than in research—I would do what research was required … Continue reading

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Helping other women, helping myself, by Amy Prager

One of the most important topics to me in academia and industry is that of gender discrimination. To discuss this problem in the abstract is one thing, however, to actually live through it and have personal experience is quite another. … Continue reading

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Follow Your Heart, by Jeff Weeks

Throughout my seven years as a math grad student, there was a constant struggle for attention between “what I was supposed to be working on” and “what my heart was into.” This theme played out in different ways over those seven … Continue reading

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Invisible struggles – when the mask stays on at work, by Mikael Vejdemo-Johansson

It has taken me a long, long time to recognize my own story as one of resilience and to recognize my own experiences as a struggle. It is still at times difficult for me to fully embrace it. One core … Continue reading

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