Tatsuya Akiba was a math tutor for the SEE Program in the summer of 2018. The SEE Program provides an opportunity for incoming Truman students to get a head start on their coursework.
How did you find out about it and what was the application process like?
I found out about this job through a peer of mine, Jennie Huynh, and I got the job through her recommendation to the program coordinator, Brad Turnbull.
What sorts of things did you do in your job?
I tutored mainly college algebra (some trigonometry and pre-calculus) to incoming freshmen who qualified to be part of the SEE Program to get a head start in their math coursework. I helped them understand mathematical concepts in their class to pass their qualifications and do well in a mock exam that covered roughly the first exam’s material for the class.
How did you benefit from this experience?
Since most of the students were weaker in their math knowledge compared to other incoming freshmen at Truman, I got the experience to explain math concepts from the very basics. As someone who will go off to graduate school and possibly become a teaching assistant for a class like college algebra (or an introductory physics class), these skills I gained through the program to elucidate concepts in math to a group of weaker students will definitely benefit me in the near future.