Sydney Strong

Sydney Strong

  • Hometown: Augusta, GA
  • Why did you choose your degree program? I wanted to expand my potential career opportunities while also learning more about something I’m interested in and enjoy. My math classes were always my favorite when I was an undergraduate at AU, so this was a great chance for me to get a deeper understanding.
  • What have you found most beneficial about your program? As a graduate assistant, I really enjoy being able to help undergraduate students in the SciMath tutoring center. I find that it helps deepen my own understanding of some topics when I’m helping others grasp it.
  • What words of advice do you have for someone considering this program? Collaborating with colleagues is extremely important! Working with other students to complete assignments and projects is important because if there's something one person doesn't understand, a colleague can help explain. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses so putting your heads together makes solving problems a lot easier.
  • What have been some of your most rewarding moments while in your program? There are lots of times that I finally understand something I’ve been struggling with when I’m working on a project or assignment, and those moments are always rewarding. My peers are always very helpful as well as the second-year students. We all are in an MS Teams group chat together where we can share questions and ideas!
  • What are your career goals? There are a lot of ways I can grow, and I'm still considering my options. For now, I am considering sticking with the education sector since I have a background in teaching.
  • What courses stand out as most beneficial? I think they all have their uses, but I think Partial Differential Equations is especially helpful and important. PDE's are very useful in all kinds of applied mathematics & science, including physics and engineering. We've been looking at wave, transport, and heat equations this semester.
  • What do you do for fun? I spend a lot of time reading and playing video games when I’m not busy with work or school.