Courageous learning
Braeden is majoring in math and secondary education, with the hope of one day teaching math at the Christian high school he attended. He’s a member of the cross country and track teams, belongs to a discipleship group, and serves as a math tutor. He’s also getting leadership experience through his job as a resident assistant. And he’s learning about true hospitality—thanks to his role as a student admissions ambassador—while giving campus tours and hosting prospective students for lunch and chapel.
Thinking logically
I always enjoyed math classes in middle and high school, so it seemed natural to major in it. I’m a very logic-based, “black and white” kind of person, and math not only matched my personality but also catered to it, growing my abilities to become a better problem solver and reasoner. My love for math became especially evident when I started taking upper-level math classes in high school. I loved the challenges those classes provided. I’m happy to say the math courses at Northwestern have further grown my love for math and its many applications.
Applying faith
During my college decision process, I narrowed my search to two Christian colleges: Northwestern and a similarly sized college. After visiting both, I was very drawn to Northwestern’s intentional integration of faith into everything on campus—from academics to sports teams. It’s clear that Northwestern cares about its students’ faith and how they will apply that faith to their futures. Northwestern was also very personal and felt like home, which was something I wanted in my college experience.
Understanding concepts
All of the math professors want to make sure we understand the underlying concepts of math, rather than just get the correct answer. Many class periods are dedicated to simply working problems with others. Every professor also gives opportunities to rework problems on tests. That not only gives us a chance to improve our grade, but it helps us gain a better understanding of our misconceptions and removes the fear of making mistakes (which I think is a key characteristic of any successful mathematician). Doing test rewrites is definitely something I want to implement in my math classroom one day, in hopes of creating an environment where risks are encouraged and mistakes are embraced.
Connecting math and theology
One of the main reasons I came to love math so much was because one of my teachers in high school showed me that math and theology are closely intertwined in fascinating ways. The professors at Northwestern also teach these important connections between faith and math. Perhaps one of my favorite connections is that we, as humans, cannot possibly fully understand the concept of infinity because it is ultimately a “God concept.” It’s also cool to hear how mathematics has influenced my professors’ faith throughout their careers in both teaching and research.
