Your first OpenLab assignment is to introduce yourself to your classmates. This assignment is due Thursday, September 2nd, at the start of class. Late submissions will receive partial credit.
Assignment. Add a comment in reply to this post introducing yourself to the class. Your comment should be at least 2 paragraphs in length. In the first paragraph, introduce yourself in whatever way you wish. You could include your academic interests, why you chose your major, what you enjoy reading, listening to, watching, and doing in your spare time, or anything else you want to share (include your pronouns, if you wish). In the second paragraph, choose ONE of the following two topics and write a response. Don’t forget to tell us which topic you chose.
Topics (choose ONE).
- Was math ever your favorite subject? If so, when was it? What about math made it your favorite? If math has never been your favorite subject, what about it do you not like?
- Sometimes people can recognize a time when their opinion of math dramatically changed either for the better or the worse. Tell us about it.
Extra Credit. Get to know your classmates! For extra credit, write a response to one of your classmates’ comments. Do you feel the same? Did you learn anything? Do you have any advice? Be kind.
Hi, my name is Tasleema (Tas-lee-ma). I am an incoming freshman majoring in Computer Information Systems. Truthfully, since I am the eldest of my siblings, my dad had always wanted me to have a stable career hence why I am in this major. However, throughout my journey, I have had more fun learning about tech in general, more than I thought I would. I have an average amount of hobbies as most young adults however my favorite would definitely be sleeping. I listen to a wide range of genres due to my ethnic background and simply my taste in music.
I completed 1st-6th grade back in the country I was born and during this time did not like math at all. Not to say that I failed that the subject, I just found difficult and struggled with it a lot. However, after moving to the US, I found it to be my favorite subject–this was mostly because the topics that were being taught at this time I had already learnt thus making it to pick up new skills along the way. Ever since then I have never truly struggled with topics pertaining to math however I am very much looking to expand my knowledge of it from this class.
I can relate with you because I also never liked Math growing up in my home country and I still don’t like it now, however it has become easier because I learned much of the topics previously. I don’t struggle as much as I used to.
Hi, my name is Wendy. I am a freshman majoring in Computer Information Systems. I started computer science classes in high school, so it was easier to just continue into this major. I was born and raised in Queens. I have never been to Brooklyn so I’m excited to be on campus next semester hopefully.
My opinion on math has definitely changed from high school math to college. I would say it changed in a worse way. College level math has definitely been a lot harder. It may be because we have less time (a semester) but, math is definitely not my favorite subject anymore.
Hi Wendy,
Sorry to read that your opinion on math changed in a worse way. If I can be honest when I took Calculus last semester it was a bit challenging at first and I was extremely overwhelmed. The advice I can offer is working in groups, seeking tutor help because I did that and surprisingly I got an A. Lol I don’t know how I did it but with that extra help it was super beneficial.
Hey my name is Lanseny I’m a junior majoring in Computer Science do to my Curiosity in the way computers work. Which lead me to this class, what I hope from learning from this course is how I can use Statistics to make life easier be. But I do want to try and use it for my fault life. Overall I’m just a curious person who like to see how the thing I learn can help me in life.
Math is actually one of my Favorite Subjects through out my educational years. Do to my love for patterns and numbers Compared to reading or written where I struggle a little on but keep on pushing through but the origination of math lead to the things I misunderstand making more sense which I hope to get from this course I’m taking.
Hi Lanseny,
I feel the same way you do about the love for patterns and numbers Compared to reading or written. I also struggled with reading and writing but I am pretty good at it now. Just keep pushing and you will get good at it as you good in math.
Hi Lnseny,
same as you, I don’t like reading and writing. Instead, I am more interested in computational mathematics. Writing and reading usually make me feel uncomfortable, but even if I don’t like it, I still have to do it. Hope everyone can learn new math and meaning in this class.
Hi! My name is Nevaeh I am a second year and my major is Computer Engineering. I like coding and I hope to code videogames someday, but until then I will settle for computer programmer. I love reading fiction novels/books, I love horror movies, games, etc. I also like to play videogames in my spare time. My favorite tv show is The Walking Dead, and I love listening to a variety of different types of music.
I never liked math, nothing I learn in math ever really sticks with me and I struggled in it my entire life (I still struggle telling time and counting money) I don’t like how I have to memorize how to do the steps to solve a problem and am still expected to know how to do it no matter how big the numbers got. Also, math is tedious because one little mistake could ruin your whole outcome and depending on the teacher, you get no credit for how many steps you got right in the problem. I can’t do a lot of math in my head, so “simple” things like dividing and multiplying a few numbers to move on in a problem take much longer than it should. Ironically, my major and probably my future professions will include lots of math, so I am in it for the long haul.
Hello my name is Cristof, math was never a favorite subject but I never hated it. It was a subject I did fairly well at without trying which pushed me a bit in the direction of doing more math classes. As I completed more math classes I gained new appreciation for the subject and its many applications and find calculus to be quite fun.
Math changed for me initially the semester I took Calculus 2, it became more fun but a the most significant change was taking a course in Differential equations. I was not aware of the possibility to solve problems in the way that differential equations is able to. So many unorthodox methods and applications. I found it very fascinating and could not believe that there existed these methods to solve problems. While completing Electrical Engineering Technology classes differential equations and calculus are two of the most used things from mathematics and to see them with real world examples is very intriguing.
My name is Brittny Sobers. My major is Biomedical Informatics and I enjoy anything that has to do with science and medicine. I’m currently an overnight emergency animal nurse and I’m a new expecting mom. I’m 32 weeks pregnant and I’m looking forward to meeting my daughter. This has been a big journey, but I still managed to juggle school, work and planning for my daughter’s arrival. My partner has been a major support in all of this, so it hasn’t been too difficult. I’m sure I’ll be in class during labor lol . That’s how dedicated I am to finish.
I enjoyed Math the most when I was in high school. (Almost a decade ago lol ) Algebra is my favorite because it has to do with solving equations. I always find that more rewarding at the end when you solve the problem correctly. It’s kind of like working on a puzzle and I enjoy solving puzzles. I especially like how algebra gives you a new way of analyzing problems and working them out.
Hi Brittny,
I agree with you math in high school was really fun and I also love algebra since we get a lot of equations to solve. Algebra is like solving puzzles and riddles with different methods. Now it’s just difficult for me.
Hi Brittny,
Congratulations! Im so excited for you! Having a baby is so beautiful and amazing in many ways! I look up to you for being able to work and study at the same time while being pregnant. School is stressful on its own so I could imagine how difficult it can be to you at times. Algebra is also one of my favorites because I enjoy solving equations as well. I am majoring in math education so I hope to be able to teach Algebra one day.
Hey Brittny,
Congrats on becoming a mother, that’s very exciting. I’ am also in the Biomedical Informatics major. I also enjoyed Algebra the most in high school, because I was able to learn and understand it the best compared to the other math courses.
Hey Brittny,
Congratulation on your new born! Your story is truly inspirational. Good luck on the future.
Hello my name is Erik and I am a junior. My major is Liberal Arts and Science. In my spare time, I like to play video games and ride my bike. I like to bike to new food places I have never been to before. It gives me a new place to go to and new food to try out.
Math was never my favorite subject. I never liked numbers and things got more complicated when variable came into the equation. Having a variable and numbers always confused me on what to do to either solve it or get rid of it. Also maybe the teachers I’ve had in the past never taught well because some of the things they taught never stayed with me, so if I encounter those types of problems later on, I do not remember how to do them. There were only like 4 teachers that I felt taught math well and I somewhat found it understandable.
I’m Evan Hubbard, and my major is Computer Science. The reason why that subject is my major is because I’ve always been interested in video games and because of what’s been going on in the pandemic I also want to be able to make systems based around data. I’ve been dedicating my free time to watching videos on YouTube and playing video games.
Math wasn’t really my favorite subject, but I’ve realized the importance Mathe subject has had has on our society during the pandemic, and although due to the pandemic it’s become a bit harder to learn it because school is online, knowing that it’s a core part of learning computer science made me more interested in it than ever, especially when it comes to Statistics.
Good evening everyone, my name is Keshawn Howe and I am a freshman majoring in Civil Engineering Technology. Civil Engineering is not my primary interest, Mechanical Engineering is, but I believe it is good to diversify your knowledge and skills. After getting my associate’s I plan on transferring to City College to study Mechanical Engineering. I have a keen interest in cars, especially European ones, so after getting my engineering license I may take my talents to Europe. I enjoy soccer, hanging with friends,` and listening to music.
Math was never my favorite subject however, with the field I plan on going into I have to tolerate it. Despite my dislike for the subject, it is an integral part of life. We use it every day in everything we do. I don’t like Math because some of the formulas and functions we use are so complicated at times and seem so unnecessary but they are essential.
Hi my name is Shaqira Amin, I was born and raised in South America precisely in the country Guyana. I moved to the U.S 2 years ago and attended high school for a year. My major is Accounting which have always been my choice as a child growing up. I didn’t know how or what it was going to be like but I had that in my head that I want to be an Accountant.
Growing up I always liked Math. I was always more focused on Math than any other subject and I always excelled in it. Gradually over time I began losing interest and my grades were dropping and I tried my best to keep up with it and I’m still trying. I’m hoping I regained that interest soon enough because I like Math!
Hi, my name is Alseny Diallo and you can call me Al. My major is Computer Science. I choosed this major because I like computer and technology which control the actual word, so I want to be part of it. When I finish college, I want to have my own business and be my own boss. I like playing soccer, workout, playing video games, listening musics and sometimes dancing.
Math been my favorite subject since high school and I like doing it. I like playing with numbers and do calculation. Sometimes when Doing math I struggle but I always find my way out and as I am advancing it’s getting little difficult but since i like it, I know I will find a way around it.
Good evening everyone my name is Keshawn Howe and I am a freshman majoring in Civil Engineering Technology. Civil Engineering Technology was not my primary choice, Mechanical Engineering is, but I believe it is good to diversify your skills and knowledge. Mechanical is my focus because I have a keen interest in cars, especially European ones, so after getting my associate’s in Civil I will transfer to City College to get my bachelor’s in mechanical. I will then pursue my engineering license and hopefully move to Europe. Besides academics, I enjoy playing soccer, hanging out with friends and family, and listening to music.
I never particularly liked Math at any point in life. My dislike stems from the complex formulas and functions we use that seem so unnecessary. Though this is my belief, Math is in fact an integral part of the field I desire to go into and in life itself. We use Math in everything we do every day.
Hey, my name is Justin Ynfante. My current major is Computer Science. I like to pretty much play video games and chat with friends during my spare time. College so far has been a bit on the rough side, especially with corona changing how things work and I’m still not quite used to the change, even though this won’t last much longer. I tend to find myself a bit distractive but I do pay attention when I have to, especially during class.
Back in elementary school, Math used to be my favorite subject, even going into middle school. For even a time as well I was considered the best at early and later math. Once I got into high school, interests began to shift more towards my love for computers, which mainly came from video games. I still do enjoy math, but not as much as I did when I was much younger. For CS, I know I’m going to need math, and I’m perfectly fine with that. I still enjoy it.
Hey, my name is Justin Ynfante, and I am currently 20 years old. What I like to do in my spare time is talking with friends, family and playing video games. I suppose I do like to sleep as well. My current major is Computer Science as I really like computer and would love to understand how code works and if I can code myself. Even if it’s something simple as a calculator.
Math used to be my favorite subject back in elementary school, as well as into middle school. However, once I got into high school, interests shifted for me instead looking into computers. I still do enjoy math, which is why I don’t have a problem with taking this class, granted I do need to take it for the sake of coding and to help later on with my major, I hope to be working well with everyone else.
Hello, my name is Mariam, I like to play the violin, read, and play video games. I am currently reading a book called “If I had your face” which does a nice job of highlighting the culture of plastic surgery we are currently living in. I also have a one-year-old son so most of my time is spent caring and mutually learning with him.
If I am being honest I have never enjoyed math as a subject alone, it just has never made sense to me where these numbers and meanings come from as I feel it’s all man-made. The first time I enjoyed math was when it was first used in Chemistry, it gave me a clear sense of why and how math should be used.
Hi Mariam, you are so lucky to be blessed with a child, I love kids and hope one day to have children of my own. I also agree with your statement about math lol.
Hi my name is Michelle Darko, I’m currently a senior year at City tech and my major is Biology. The reason why I choose this major is I like to learn about the human body, this played a big role in my career path which is being a nurse. Not only do I want to become a nurse but I want to be a pediatric nurse. I love kids and think they are so interesting and cute so I put two of my favorite things together and chose the path of a pediatric nurse. I pray to be one of the best nurses in the health field and help those in need of care and medical assistance, in this world we all can find a way to help someone and I chose to do that through the health field.
I’ve always had a love and hate relationship with math. There have been some times in my life where I understand and get math and because of this I enjoy the class and do well. But there are other times when I don’t understand math at all, this leads to confusion and frustration. I believe math is a very complicated subject and it’s not my favorite, but I’ve learned a secret about it. That secret is in order to be good in math you have to keep practicing and keep reviewing over and over. This method really change my view toward math and pushed me to do better and dedicate my time to actually understanding math and just trying to get by in math for the grade.
Hi Michelle, I also aspire to be a nurse in the future. Either a pediatric nurse or nurse practitioner. I also definitely agree with the fact that in order to excel at math you have to apply yourself and keep practicing, I unfortunately learned that the hard way growing up. Good luck with your nursing career!
Hi, my name is Michelle Darko. I am currently a senior City tech and my major is Biology. The reason why I choose this major is that I like to learn about the human body. This helped me to pick my career choice which is to become a nurse. Not only do I want to be a nurse but I want to be a pediatric nurse. I love children and think they are so adorable, so I decided to put the two things I love together and become a pediatric nurse. I believe in this world there are many ways to help someone, I decide to help others in the health field.
I’ve had a love and hate relationship with the subject of math. I believe math is a complicated and complex subject. If you miss one step you’ll get everything wrong. I’ve taken some math classes that I’ve enjoyed for example algebra and I’ve also taken some math classes that I didn’t really enjoy for example calculus. But one thing that I’ve gotten to realize about math is in order to do well in it you have to keep practicing and reviewing it. This method has helped me in math and changed the way that I look at math, I’ve realized that it made math easier for me.
My name is Franklin Cen Feng, and my academic interests are in computer science and technology, such as editing, programming, and special effects. And my current major is Emerging media technology. In my spare time, I prefer to watch videos online, listen to songs and play games, but I don’t like reading very much.
In the beginning, I actually liked mathematics. His various equations aroused my interest. I also like to do some mathematics, but later in high school, for some reasons, I couldn’t improve my mathematics course. As a result, the mathematics I studied was 1/3 semester, and my friends were all Class for 1/2 semester. They are learning more advanced courses than me, and the courses I am reading are all simple mathematics that I know. This led to a gradual fade in my concept of learning mathematics in high school.
Hi, my name is Aman Fatima. I am majoring in computer science. My family always wanted me to have a successful and stable career, so they suggested to me some careers like medical, etc. I chose computer science because I became more interested in technology. I hope this major lead me to success. In my spare time, I like listening to music, watching movies, and hang out with my sister.
Math was always been my favorite subject. Growing up, I was always interested in math and wanted to play with equations. They’re like unsolvable riddles, which I like solving. However as I proceeded through college, it began more complex and challenging for me.
Hi Fatima, I think it really cool that you’re majoring in computer science. I love to see other women in different career paths besides the medical field. I wish you the best of luck !
Hi my name is Eryka and this is my third year at City Tech. I initially started majoring in nursing and focused on getting all my prerequisites to be able to join the program. That took me about a year and a half. I was accepted into the nursing program in spring 2020 right before quarantine. Once in the program I learned that becoming a nurse wasn’t something I wanted to do. Ever since I was young, it was always in between majoring in nursing or mathematics. In high school I took an AP class of statistics and didn’t do well. That was one of the reasons why I decided to pursue the career of nursing. Eventually I realized that majoring in math was something I wanted to do in my life.
Math has always been my favorite subject. It is the only subject I look forward to and enjoy doing. I have encountered with many people who hate the subject because they aren’t able to understand it. Ever since I was young I was one of those students who caught on real quick with this subject but I know the feeling of not being able to understand it because that is how I feel with science and history. What I love about math is that it is something we use in our daily lives without even noticing. And I think that math is very important because without it we wouldn’t be able to do things such as tell time and count certain objects/things.
Hello my name is Evelyn, I’ am a senior majoring in Bioinformatics, I will be graduating next spring. I’ am very passionate about biology and computer science, which lead me in choosing this major. During my spare time I enjoy taking photographs with my black and white film camera because it is a very vintage way of taking photos and a long procedure needs to be done in order to develop the film and print the photographs. I also enjoy sculpting and painting during my free time.
During my junior year of high school math was my favorite subject in school, I was taking Algebra and trigonometry. I really enjoyed taking this course, I was very interested in learning because it brought curiosity to me on how I could improve my skills. I would say that that was probably the only time I ever enjoyed a math course.
Hi! my name is Afrim Shaptafa im a transfer student into City tech for 2 years now from Brooklyn college where I studied computer science. I transferred here to change majors to Electrical Engineering. I dont think id ever put math as one of my favorite subjects because i was always one of those kids in high school who never understood math so well. its like the stuff never really stayed with me sadly. I think it started getting bad when Trig was introduced but I did like math when it was just Algebra.
I remember always being so pessimistic about math because I always would get low grades until half way through the year i ended up asking my math teacher to tutor me during my lunch classes and she agreed. I ended up getting high 90s in that class with the extra tutoring from her and being able to have that one on one lessons really helped me. Id say that was the turning point for me to realize that math isnt impossible but that i just needed to put in more effort than i was currently doing.
Yeap, I was the same way. You find that most things are in fact not impossible if you keep trying.
My name is Chelsea Alejandro and I am a New Yorker. I am in my junior year, studying for my Bachelors degree in Economics. I have an associates in Industrial Design but I decided to switch to something that peaked my interest a bit more. I am figuring this way out to not have to work for anyone- or freelance. I have concluded that math will help me there, for as long as this Earth holds us up. People will pay people to do their math.
I actually really disliked school since high school, but math was always my favorite. It is a universal language like body/ sign language. I was pretty decent at it until I took advantage of the free knowledge given in high school, and stopped attending class. But I’m here now some yearssss later and I am ready to do it.
Hello, my name is Joel and this is my second year of college. I’m studying to be a Computer Science major so that one day I would be able to create my own video games that can be played and loved by many. In my free time, i like to play video games on my Playstation, draw, read books, watch anime, and read manga. I mainly listen to most genres of music, such as pop, metal, edm, etc.
Math use to be one of my favorite subjects. It was one I was able to understand and do without a problem. Yea sometimes I struggled but once I asked for help, it was easy nonetheless. I felt like that changed though once college started. Online classes (in my opinion) has made it harder to focus and I felt myself struggling to pay attention in my math classes. I would struggle to do work or even know that there was work to be done. Not being in person and in front of the professor felt like a real disadvantage and I feel like with taking Calculus II now, I’m only going to fall further down in understanding math.
Hello Class, my name is Anthony. I’m currently finishing up my associates in Liberal Arts and Sciences to hopefully get in to a specialized school for Radiology. I’m currently working as a bartender at a local movie theater so I’m constantly kept busy by that. I really enjoy watching movies especially if they are Horror or Psychological thrillers. Currently loved watching the whole Fear Street Series on Netflix which was surprisingly entertaining and like a little love note to the genre of horror as a whole.
I’ve always had a hatred towards math and school in general but over the years I’ve been in college, I’ve come to appreciate math a little more than I did. See I hate math when I don’t understand how it works. Once I get how to do something, I will do millions of question without a problem. The issue is that most times I just don’t get it so I find it dreadful.
Hello everyone my name is Devina. I’m currently completing my associates in Liberal Arts & Sciences and hope to get into the nursing program in the near future. I’m a huge gym rat so in my free time if I’m not at work I’m usually at the gym, or if I’m relaxing at home I’m on Netflix. Right now I’m just watching different movies that catch my interest, mostly action & drama. I also recently finished watching Manifest which is a TV series, definitely a must watch.
I hated math wholeheartedly in high school. Every exam every quiz, I remember just feeling so much anxiety and stress. I remember in some exams I literally used to cry because I was so lost and didn’t understand what was in front of me. Luckily, that all changed when I got to college. College math is definitely harder no doubt about that but there are so many resources at my fingertips that I never had in high school. I began to use those resources to my advantage and that’s when I realized over the years I just wasn’t applying myself as much as I should’ve. I wouldn’t quite say math is my favorite subject now but I’ve learned to appreciate it more & more over the years.
I’m Evan Hubbard. My major for college was Computer Science and the reason for that is because ever since I took a Computer Science class during middle school I’ve been interested in wanting to do things related to coding, whether it’s making games or making systems. Speaking of games, I’ve been playing video games since I was young and the most time I’ve spent during the pandemic was playing them, specifically older video games.
When it comes to Math, for a good portion of my life, I didn’t really like it because it was too hard. However when high school came around I started to get used to learning it because I asked my teachers to help me, which made me understand the topics covering it, and the topics were also more interesting to learn about than at any point in school before. That interest hasn’t really gone down since, but the thing is that because of online learning it’s harder to adapt to doing Math, but now I think I’m getting used to online school.
Hey everyone my name is Marielys Bueno, I am from the Dominican Republic and I am currently a mathematics education major. I would love to share my love for math with the future generation. I am 20 years old about to turn 21 in a month so happy about that :). I just recently received my associates in Science last semester and that accomplishment made more motivated in school. However, after graduating with my Associates realized Science isnt the right field for me, my passion is in Mathematics. That’s when I knew mathematics education was the right choice for my bachelors.
After coming to the US when I was eight years old, school became more difficult because of the language barrier. However, my progress in mathematics never stopped. Knowing I was behind on many subjects due to the language, I started to excel in mathematics to show that I am putting in the effort. After those years, I grew a love for mathematics, and that’s when I decided that mathematics education was the major for me. I feel like the teachers that impacted my decision into this major were the teachers that genuinely love what they do for a living. I would love to share the passion I have for this subject with students and help them become math geniuses.
Hey my name is Eric Enobiomano. I was born & raised in Brooklyn. I am finishing my Liberal Arts & science major. I am the oldest of my three brothers . On my spare time i will usually workout out, listen to music, photography, watch Netflix or play and watch basketball.
Growing up I always loved math because i was good. It was may favorite subject all the way until High school. That pretty much change when I started going to college. It became way more difficult and I sort of fell out of love with it. I still do enjoy certain topic but it definitely isn’t my favorite anymore.