Moe Tun, Mather HS

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“Math Circles didn’t just prepare me for college — it helped me find joy in thinking, questioning, and creating. It taught me that math isn’t just about getting the right answer; it’s about the journey of discovering how and why things work.”

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Throughout high school, Moe has worked as a math tutor at FORA, Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America, and helps mentor their robotics team, too. When Math Circles of Chicago opened a hub at FORA last fall, Moe was a natural candidate to become a high school assistant in the 3rd-4th grade classroom. Facilitating a math circle is a different skill than tutoring a student in algebra skills, but it further allows her to share her love for her favorite subject - mathematics - with many more students.

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How did you develop an interest in mathematics? What has your learning experience been like in school up to this point? What challenges, socially and/or academically, have you faced in this journey? 

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Before I came to the U.S., I was just an ordinary student in Myanmar. I was in Class B, for average students, and I blended in easily. I wasn’t the best, but I wasn’t the worst either. Math was something I did because it was part of school, not something I felt connected to. That changed after I moved to the United States in sixth grade. Everything around me was unfamiliar: the language, the classrooms, even the way lessons were taught. I remember sitting quietly in my new math class, not understanding what the teacher was saying, but then realizing that the numbers and symbols looked exactly the same. Math became the only thing that didn’t feel strange.

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From then on, math became my favorite subject because it was something I could rely on when everything else was confusing. It didn’t matter what language I spoke; the logic stayed the same. Every year, I started to understand more and enjoyed solving harder problems. Math gave me confidence and made me feel capable, even when I was quiet or unsure of myself in other classes.

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By eighth grade, my math teacher noticed how much I enjoyed solving problems and recommended me for Algebra. She said, “You’ll like it. It’s all numbers and patterns.” She was right, but there was something she did that felt like betrayal at first. After every problem, she made every student explain their solution on the board, every single day, taking turns. Whenever it was my turn, my heart raced. I was terrified that no one would understand me or my way of thinking. Back in Myanmar, we were taught different methods, and I still used them because they made more sense to me.

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But instead of correcting me, my teacher applauded me. She told the class that there isn’t just one right way to solve a problem, and showing creativity and understanding matters more. That moment changed everything. I started to see math not as a subject with one path, but as a language with many accents. It gave me confidence to share my thinking, even if it sounded different. And even after all these years, I still do my times tables and quick calculations in Burmese — a small reminder of where my love for numbers first began.

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What is your mathematical power? How has your work with Math Circles of Chicago helped you develop that power?

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My “mathematical power” is that I notice patterns and connections quickly, and I like breaking things down step by step until I find the logic behind them. Working with Math Circles has helped me strengthen that skill because the problems there are more about thinking deeply and creatively than just getting the answer.

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During sessions, I see students solving a question so many different ways, and how every method reveals something new. It made math feel like a puzzle where you get to experiment and test your ideas. One obstacle, though, I’ve noticed while helping students is that many think math is just pure numbers. It’s hard for them to connect mathematical ideas to real life or see how math can exist beyond calculators and equations. For example, when we were doing calendar math at Math Circles, some students kept asking, “How is this math?” or said that they could just check their phone. It made me realize how important it is to help students see that math is more about patterns and reasoning than simple numbers. I enjoy finding ways to make that connection clearer for them.

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MC2 College Pathways is dedicated to helping students find their own pathway forward in STEM. Please describe your future plans for college and beyond. 

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In the future, I plan to study engineering in college because I enjoy combining creativity with problem-solving. Math has always been at the center of that. I see it as a language that explains how things work, move, and connect. Whether I end up working with circuits, designing structures, or exploring something completely new, I know that math will always be part of how I think and create.

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Beyond academics, Math Circles made me more curious about how math connects to the world. The first lesson I participated in was called toothpick geometry. At first, I thought, “Toothpick what?” But soon, I realized how it connected to the kind of problem-solving I enjoy — visualizing shapes, finding patterns, and building logic step by step. Later, we did calendar math, which showed me how something as ordinary as dates and months could hide deep mathematical ideas. I had always noticed those patterns but never said them aloud until then.

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I used to think math was something that only existed in textbooks, but now I see it everywhere — in structures, patterns, and even the smallest details of everyday life. Whatever field I go into, I want to carry that same curiosity and persistence with me. Math Circles didn’t just prepare me for college — it helped me find joy in thinking, questioning, and creating. It taught me that math isn’t just about getting the right answer; it’s about the journey of discovering how and why things work.

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