It’s unfortunate that the conclusion to our time as undergraduates had to end the way it did. There’s a lot of grandeur to a graduation that we just won’t be able to experience due to COVID-19. I won’t say that I’m too grief-stricken by this result as I don’t really enjoy sitting for many hours in the sun. I also want to say that I think there’s a lot of things of interest that Coronavirus brings to us. It’s not every day that we get to experience living (and hopefully continued living) through a global pandemic. It’s alloted, and will allot, a hefty amount of time to ourselves, and I see this as a great opportunity to make big changes in our lives and in the greater societies that we occupy. This isn’t to downplay the humongous tragedy and mess that’s occurring, but I think there’s more to it than just that.

When I transferred to East Bay, I was looking forward to a really strenuous, difficult experience of studying mathematics at the upper division level. Because of this, I spent a lot of time my last year in community college reading and solving problems in anticipation of the rigour that would be required of me. Thinking about it now, it seems that either my expectations were a little skewed, or I overdid it a bit. Regardless, I was able to find a tightknit community at East Bay that taught me more than just math.

I’d like to first thank the faculty in the math department for their unbounded support of my growth as a math student and human being. Specifically I’d like to thank Dr. Hann, Dr. Callahan, Dr. Oliver, and Dr. Arauza for putting up with me shuffling into their offices and talking about anything that came to mind (and oftentimes nothing at all) for far too long. In this regard, I’d like to apologize to anyone that has had to wait an obscene amount of time for me to finish speaking up a storm during office hours for classes that I might not have even been enrolled in.

To Dr. Oliver, I’m especially grateful for your guidance this past year with a long trip through a good amount of differential equations. You were part of the reason I chose East Bay, and I’m happy to say that it was the right choice in the end. To Dr. Arauza, I think it was really fortunate that you defended your dissertation and came to East Bay right as I also arrived. I wouldn’t be the student that I am now if it weren’t for your support my first year and through research. Both of you have listened to me through all my complaints about classes, anxieties about math and grad school, and eagerness for more math. In return, you two gave me so much wisdom and advice and definitely tore me to shreds sometimes with the problems you’d hand me, so I really can’t thank you both enough.

I’d also like to thank the ever-illusive Dr. K. Although I only spoke to you for a semester, I think I learned a lot from that time and learning from your experience. I know you were hoping I’d stick to applied math because of your experiences at Toronto, but I think you found your success and identity as a mathematician through the path you ended up taking. So I’d like to go with what I’m currently passionate about, and if my path changes along the way, then all the better it will be in the end.

To my peers, I appreciate all of you that supported me the past two years and ran with my antics and ramblings, so to name a few, I’d like to thank Andrea, Matt, Greg, Max, Amber, Lily, David, Alec and Jabr. These past two years just wouldn’t have been as much fun without you all and many more.

To close, I’d like to leave you all with a quote I’ve kept close to me for few years now.

“Do not mistake mathematics for the mathematician.”

To my peers, I hope you all know that you have so much more to offer than just your abilities in mathematics. Beyond being mathematicians, there are things you can do for yourself and your communities that just can’t be measured using math, so as you continue into a tumultuous world, I encourage you to keep in mind what you are capable of, as well as the skills and humanity that you hold. On the other hand, I hope that you all continue to think about mathematics. Just as mathematicians are more than mathematics, I think math itself is so much more than what people that study and teach it can ever hope to describe. A curious thought that was shared between Dr. Oliver and I some time ago, was that mathematics as a whole is just so strange. It’s so unreasonably good at characterizing our physical world on top of infinite layers of esoteric abstractions, that it’s almost theological.

So whether it’s something strange like this, a playful puzzle, a warming experience, or some kind of application, it is my wish that you may all find something in math that you can find enjoyment and meaning from.

Thank you.

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