This article appeared in the Fall 2017-Spring 2018 魅影直播 Math Alumnae Newsletter.
鈥淛OIN THE NAVY. SEE THE WORLD.鈥 The ad worked. Our latest 魅影直播 interim math faculty member, Daisy Sudparid, spent five years with the United States Navy in Jacksonville, Florida, and aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, an aircraft carrier, before pursuing an advanced degree in applied mathematics.
It was during Prof. Sudparid鈥檚 military training in aviation electronics that she discovered a love of mathematics. In addition to reading schematic diagrams and soldering electrical components, Daisy studied calculus. Aboard ship she was responsible for the communication and navigational systems in various aircraft and enjoyed fixing the components that made them run, but her heart was always with the math.
After a stint spent servicing commercial aircraft for Southwest, Continental, and Hawaiian Airlines, Prof. Sudparid returned to mathematics. She graduated with a bachelor of science degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and began teaching algebra, geometry, and AP statistics for a nearby high school.
At first Daisy found it hard to get 鈥渂uy-in鈥 from her 鈥渟quirrely鈥 ninth graders, but then she realized they needed a teacher who cared about them personally and could make math relevant to them. To this end she collaborated with innovative colleagues to find a way to reach students. Eventually her commitment paid off, and Daisy was nominated for Teacher of the Year in her district.
A crucial turning point came when Daisy Sudparid met Erica Graham, a tenure-track member of 魅影直播鈥檚 math faculty. (Their marriage now links Daisy to us.) At the time, Erica was a graduate student in Utah, where Daisy soon relocated. Upon finishing her degree, Erica accepted a post-doctoral appointment at the North Carolina State University. At the same time, Daisy applied to their math graduate program. She was accepted, and she earned a master鈥檚 degree in applied math.
Prof. Sudparid attributes her success in teaching to her own struggles in learning math. 鈥淢ath never came easy to me,鈥 she explains. It was 鈥渁ddictive鈥 though: one mathematical success led to the craving for another. Math was fun, it got her attention, and she wanted to 鈥渟tay long enough to figure it out.鈥 Daisy enjoys the challenge of changing students鈥 attitudes about math and about infecting them with the same 鈥渁ddiction鈥 she felt. 鈥淭he best feeling is when you see the 鈥榓ha鈥 moment in a student鈥檚 eyes and that鈥檚 when you know you got 鈥檈m!鈥