From: Plainfield, NH

Age: 18, just graduated High School, attending Duke University in the Fall.

How did you hear about YPP: Last summer I did a summer program in New Hampshire called St. Paul’s Advanced Studies Program, and my professor there is Mike Stevens, who is a big supporter of the program. He set me up with this because he’s always wanted his students to do it. 

What would you say you enjoy most about YPP: I really like working with the kids a lot but it’s more like the games. When they first told me “oh you’re going to be a math literacy worker I was like ok” because my math experience had been a lot of drilling and memorization. But then when we started playing all the games, cause we played all the games first and it was really just fun to play the games, and then beginning to work with the kids, like I see YPP as I’m getting paid to be a big responsible kid, like taking care of them I still get to play the games. It’s really cool just to see like how math can be fun and what not. 

How has participating in YPP affected you: I’m from rural New Hampshire, and I think it’s mostly the diversity part is a huge thing for me because my school has a 3% diversity rate, so it’s just like being able to work in an environment where there is tons of diversity, just getting comfortable with it I think is super important. I wish a lot of the kids in my high-school would get an opportunity like this, because they’re about to go into the real world and they don’t really know to experience diversity. 

Do you have any other interests outside of YPP: I usually dance around like 25 hours a week, and then during the winter I also Alpine Ski Race. I do student policy council, I interned at the New Hampshire State House.