Ashka is a senior at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (a.k.a. Rose or RHIT). At Rose, through the R² program, she anticipates a Bachelor’s of Science in Mathematics with minors in Spanish and Music and a Master’s in Engineering Management by the end of her 4 years there. After undergrad she hopes to pursue a PhD in math. This ambition has been supported through a love for math and incredible opportunities, including: a role as the current President of the RHIT AWM chapter, volunteer at high school math competitions hosted by Rose, tutor (math focused) at the RHIT Learning Center, researcher at the 2022 YSU-BUMP and 2023 UConn Summer REU programs, and a mentor for Rose Prime. Ashka has made connections with people in the math community that have granted her these opportunities and have allowed her to feel safe and a sense of belonging in the community. As a bi, genderqueer woman of color, she hopes that she can be a connection that helps others find the opportunities to support their ambitions and the same safety and belonging that she has felt and found in mathematics.

Gavi graduated from the University of Redlands in December of 2022 with a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science, and is currently working as a Technical Data Analyst for a grid consulting company. As an international student at a small liberal arts college, he didn’t have the easiest time exploring math outside of Redlands via REUs and conferences. His first such experience was OURFA2M2 2020. The unorthodox structure of the conference and the connections he made at the conference opened his eyes to the broader American mathematical community and opportunities. This led him to spend two research summers at Redlands and two impactful semesters at the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program, where he deepened his connection with math and broadened his mathematical network. 

Gavi feels strongly about the common fear/hate against math that exists in the general populace. He believes that most people never get to see the real gems of math that the few of us (who pursue an undergraduate or graduate degree in math) get to cherish, especially people from marginalized communities. Through OURFA2M2, he aims to reduce this fear amongst the people he meets, whether it’s by sharing experiences, or by making people aware of opportunities in the math community.

Bowen graduated from Carleton College in June of 2023 with a BA in Mathematics, and is currently studying and doing research through Budapest Semester in Mathematics Academic Year Program. His research interests are combinatorics, graph theory, number theory, and quantum computing. He is also an avid problem solver. He actively participates in the problem-solving group at Carleton and also Putnam and Konhauser Competitions. He had his first research experience at Polymath Jr. REU. He is also an alum of both Budapest Semester in Mathematics and Mathematics Education. He also thinks of mathematical teaching as an important part of his mathematical journey. He has been teaching AP Calculus and IB Mathematics since his freshman year. At Carleton, he is a tutor at Math Skill Center. He also loves to record videos on mathematical concepts he finds intriguing. He hopes to share his joys for mathematics with more people. He attended the OURFA²M² 2020 conference, was moved by the stories current mathematicians told of their struggles in mathematics, and is inspired to join the organizing committee for OURFAM2 2022. As an international student, he understands the difficulties and struggles in learning mathematics international students face. He wants to share his experience and let people from different backgrounds feel more welcomed in the mathematical community. 

Zoe is a junior studying Mathematics and English Literature at Swarthmore College. She is the Assistant Producer of “Mathematically Uncensored,” a podcast about people of color in mathematics, and is on the board of GeMS (Gender Minorities in Math and Statistics) at her home institution. Zoe has attended both the Summer@ICERM REU and the Mathily-EST REU. After many years of doubting whether she belonged in mathematics, Zoe hopes to work with OURFA²M² to create a math community where everyone can be their true selves.

tahda is a trans Hakka exile and a first-generation undergraduate, currently studying math and philosophy at City University of New York. ta has conducted research on topology and probability theory at the UCSB Mathematics Summer Research Program, on algebraic combinatorics and number theory at QED (Queens Experience in Discrete Mathematics), on extremal combinatorics and graph theory at SUAMI (Summer Undergraduate Applied Mathematics Institute), and is always interested in exploring more. ta also enjoys cooking spicy vegan food, spending time with kino (the cat in the picture), and providing a safe space for new friends with marginalized experiences. Communities like OURFA²M² and ENYGMMA (Empowering New York Gender Minority Mathematicians) offer tahda a sense of belonging, and ta is very grateful for the opportunity to contribute as a co-organizer here.

Jenna Race is a non-traditional first-generation college student. She studies mathematics at Century College in White Bear Lake, MN. In 2021, she was awarded the Century College Foundation Mathematics Scholarship. For two years Jenna worked as a peer math tutor in the Century College Math Resource Center. In addition to being a student, Jenna works full-time for Metro Transit as an Associate Communications Specialist.

Jenna’s path to math was not linear. She started and stopped college several times. She eventually resumed college in her early 30's, but studied business rather than math. She decided to change majors to math after taking College Algebra and Statistics. She credits her success to the support she received from her professors and mentors, and helpful friends from Math Twitter. She was especially inspired by attending the OURFA²M² conferences in 2020 and 2021.

Luke is a first-year mathematics PhD student at Michigan State University. His past affiliations include Washington University in St. Louis, Grand Challenge Scholars Program, and Budapest Semesters in Mathematics, and he had his first math research experience with the Michigan State University REU in 2018. He earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Louisiana Tech University in May 2020 at the onset of COVID-19. While struggling to stay in touch with the mathematics community during his gap year, he attended the OURFA²M² 2020 conference and was inspired to apply to more math programs after meeting other LGBTQ+ mathematicians. As a transgender man, Luke hopes to become the LGBTQ+ representation in math that he did not see as an undergraduate. He is excited to continue working with the OURFA²M² organizing team for a second year to provide valuable resources to undergraduate students.

Salina Tecle is an Eritrean-American undergrad student currently studying Mathematics and Data Science at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. She graduated from Northern Virginia Community College in 2022 with an Associate of Science degree in Mathematics and is currently a research and outreach intern in the Mason Experimental Geometry Lab, where she helps facilitate math education activities for young students and math research projects with her faculty mentors and fellow undergrad researchers. She was a participant in the 2023 CURE summer program run by the Intercollegiate Biomathematics Alliance at Illinois State University and is currently working on predicting the future population of certain fish species using integral projection methods. She was furthermore part of the 2023 Mathematics Climate Research Network program by the American Institute of Mathematics at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Salina is excited to be part of a diverse and interconnected math community and do her part in welcoming new mathematicians to OURFA2M2.

Lee is a second-year PhD student at the University of Minnesota. She earned a BS in math from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, with minors in German, political science, and astronomy/astrophysics. Her mathematical (and adjacent) interests are in number theory, graph theory, voting theory, mathematical art, astronomy, math education, and math cognition. Some formative experiences of her undergraduate career include being a counselor at Rose-Hulman AMP and PROMYS, TA'ing for The Art of Problem Solving, participating in the REU at Grand Valley State University, studying and researching with Budapest Semesters in Mathematics and Mathematics Education, and working on various research projects, as well as, of course, starting OURFA²M².  At the same time, her undergraduate record includes many failed classes and having to drop out for a year and a half, all due to health concerns, so she understands being forced into a nonlinear academic path and the difficulties of getting back onto a track that works for someone's own unique situation. 

In grad school, she has been a counselor at the Ross Mathematics Program, she TA's for university math classes, and she is a problem writer for the Minnesota State High School Math League.  She has been an active member of oSTEM for many years, including being an officer in both the Rose-Hulman and University of Minnesota chapters, and was awarded the oSTEM Global STEM Service Award. As a queer and genderqueer woman who manages chronic illness and comes from a background without much financial support, Lee has seen many angles of the fight to make a place for yourself in mathematics when you aren’t what people expect a mathematician to be. She hopes to make that fight a little easier for those who come after her.