Eric Nichols
As Eric Nichols finishes up his M.S. in Mathematics this spring, he graduates with newfound confidence in his ability to stand in front of a class and talk about math.
Q: What was your ah-ha moment at OHIO—that point where you said to yourself, “I’ve got this!”?
A: One of the most stressful moments for me in my time here was teaching my first class. Luckily, the Department of Mathematics put great effort into preparing us for teaching our courses. After I finished that first day of teaching, I was met with new confidence on my abilities to succeed at teaching.
Q: What was the hardest hill you had to climb (not counting Jeff Hill) at OHIO? And how did you overcome challenges or obstacles in your path?
A: Much like my “ah-ha” moment, the most challenging part of time here was learning how to teach students effectively. The Department of Mathematics did a great job at providing resources and even a class to help me and other graduate students learn to teach more effectively. These resources did a great deal to help me develop my skills as a teacher.
Q: What stands out in your mind as you think about graduating despite COVID?
A: I am happy that, despite the challenges many of my professors and peers faced, we have been able to succeed in the face of this adversity.
Q: What are your next steps/future plans?
A: I will be getting married this summer and will be taking a year off of school before continuing to get a Ph.D.
Q: Who were your favorite professors and how did they make an impact on your life?
A: I have had many excellent professors here at OHIO. Though they have had different effects on my life, they have all helped me feel more prepared for a future in mathematics.
Q: What are your favorite OHIO memories?
A: One of my favorite memories of being at OHIO was hanging out with my peers in between classes and attending different events hosted by the Department of Mathematics.
Q: What’s the one thing you would tell a new OHIO student not to miss?
A: My answer here is for incoming graduate students. The Graduate College hosts many awesome events for helping all graduate students achieve their goals. Though I did not get the opportunity to go to many of those events, I really enjoyed the few I did go to and found them to be extremely helpful.
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