Carmen Le, winner of the 2018 Irene Naismith Mathematics Award from Crawford High School.

1. I involved myself in mathematics courses because it is a subject I am interested in, and my college major, Economics, deals a lot with numbers and math. I managed my schoolwork with other activities by coming up with a schedule for myself. I prioritized schoolwork as the most important thing to focus on and use the time I had after completing my work to do extracurriculars. AVID helped me a lot with teaching me to use a planner and allotting enough time for many activities. It’s very important to have a carefully planned day in order to make sure everything is manageable and able to be completed, while still giving me the time to unwind after a long day.
2. I took AP Calculus AB in high school, which helps immensely with my college math courses. I am required to take a 3-class series of Calculus courses. The material I have been learning so far was covered in AP Calculus, which gives me an advantage because my college math classes are a review of what I previously learned. I’m able to keep up with the fast pace of the UC quarter system and prevent myself from falling behind in coursework.
3. Pay attention in the classes you’re taking in high school because they can come in handy when doing college-level coursework. Learn to be able to manage your time well and learn how to use a planner because college can be very overwhelming if you can’t keep track of everything that’s going on. Set goals for what you want to accomplish every day to keep yourself motivated.