Everyone Laughed When I Said “Mathematics Doctor’’

Alice teaching mathematics at a secondary school in Rwanda

I finally started my PhD.

Writing that still feels a little unreal.

When I was in high school, one of my teachers once asked me, “What do you want to become when you grow up?”

Without thinking too much about it, I said, “A mathematics doctor.”

The whole class laughed.

At the time, I didn't even know that what I was trying to describe was actually a real thing. I knew that I loved mathematics and that I wanted to go beyond learning it. I wanted to understand it better, discover new things, and somehow make a career out of it.

Looking back now, that little answer makes me smile.

Because years later, I am a PhD student studying education and research on mathematics learning.

Maybe that high school student wasn't so far off after all.

When I was young, I was fascinated by science, numbers, and figuring out how things worked. But if you asked me what my favorite subject was, the answer was always easy: mathematics.

People who know me well know how much I love math. In school, it was the subject that made sense to me. Fractions, probability, statistics, calculus, logic you name it. I enjoyed it. I also loved helping other students understand it. From elementary school through high school, I somehow always ended up with a little group of classmates who wanted me to explain something before an exam or help them with a difficult problem.

And honestly, I loved it.

After finishing high school at 18, I started tutoring and teaching mathematics to high school students. One thing I noticed very quickly was how many students would say, “I'm not good at math,” or “Math is too hard.”

I never believed that.

I believed that sometimes students needed someone to help them see mathematics differently.

That idea stayed with me.

When I started university, my interests expanded beyond mathematics. STEM has become a much bigger part of my world, and I developed an interest in education, technology, and how we can create better learning opportunities for students.

That was also when I co-founded Starlight with my classmate and friend, Ariane.

Starting Starlight was one of the most important decisions I have ever made. I wanted to create learning experiences that made STEM exciting, especially for girls who might not initially see themselves as future scientists, engineers, or mathematicians.

It started as an idea during university and grew into an organization working with schools in Rwanda and reaching thousands of students.

And somewhere along the way, I realized something:

I had never left mathematics.

It was always there.

When I moved to the United States to pursue my master's degree at the University of Portland, I started thinking seriously about pursuing a PhD. I knew I had an unfinished dream.

I wanted to understand more.

I wanted to conduct research.

I wanted to create and test interventions that could actually help students.

And I wanted to keep teaching.

Research, teaching, numbers, and education had somehow become the things I kept coming back to.

So last year, I started applying for PhD programs.

I applied to several universities, received three offers, and eventually chose the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Education.

And then something exciting happened.

During the application process, I came across the work of Dr. Jessica Rodrigues and the Mathematics Potential Lab. I spoke with her, learned more about her research, and immediately felt that there was something special about the work happening in the lab.

The Mathematics Potential Lab focuses on mathematics learning and interventions, especially for students experiencing mathematics difficulties and disabilities. The lab also brings together students at different stages: undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers to learn, collaborate, conduct, and disseminate research.

And now...

I'm part of it.

Sometimes I don’t stop thinking about that.

The girl who loved solving math problems.

The teenager who tutored other students.

The high school student who confidently told her teacher she wanted to become a “mathematics doctor,” and the entire class laughed.

The young woman who started an education organization because she wanted girls to see STEM differently.

The graduate student who kept wondering what her unfinished dream was.

And now the PhD student at UNC getting the opportunity to study mathematics learning, conduct research, teach, and learn alongside people who care about education.

It feels like I have somehow found my way back to something that was always a part of me.

And I am excited about what comes next.

I am excited about learning from the amazing people in the Mathematics Potential Lab, contributing to research, mentoring students, and exploring ways to make mathematics feel less intimidating and much more exciting for students.

I don't know exactly where this journey will take me.

But I know I am in the right place.

People who know me best would probably say, “This is exactly where you are supposed to be.”

And maybe they are right.

I dreamed about this life for a long time.

The funny thing is, maybe that high school girl already knew where she was going. She just didn't have the words for it yet.

So, here's to becoming the “mathematics doctor” I once imagined with a PhD, a lot more research, and hopefully a few students who will learn to love math along the way.

I'm excited to start this new chapter at UNC and even more excited to see where mathematics takes me next.

By Alice Mukashyaka