Meet the Mathematical Sciences Department

Student of the Month

Name: Samantha McGlennen

Hometown: Orlando, Florida

Option: Mathematics Teaching

Career Aspirations:

Although she likes the flexibility of being qualified to teach at either the high school or middle school level, Samantha plans to teach middle school mathematics. She enjoys interacting with middle school children, and looks forward to the opportunity to teach them mathematics. Her goal is to serve as a positive role model for her students, especially when they are at an impressionable age.

Sam is interested in earning a Master’s degree at some point in the future. Ideally, she would like to pursue a graduate degree in mathematics education, because she desires to learn more about both education and mathematics.

Why Chose Math:

If it hadn’t been for her 7^th grade Algebra teacher, Sam might never have recovered from her horrible experiences in 6^th grade pre-algebra. Her algebra teacher gave her a solid foundation for the rest of her studies. She has always liked math, enjoys tutoring in math, and has been told she has a knack for explaining math ideas.

Why came to IPFW:

While Samantha was attending a community college in Orlando, she met and eventually married Steve. They moved back to Indiana to be near her husband’s family. After starting a family, Sam decided to go back to school to pursue teaching and considered attending Huntington College, her father-in-law’s alma mater. However, the marketability of earning a degree from Purdue should her family ever relocate, as well as the affordability of the tuition led her to choose IPFW.

Interests:

Sam loves to read, a passion she shared with her mother. The first book she remembers reading was While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark. After her mother learned how much Sam liked the book, she went out and bought every Mary Higgins Clark book she could find, thrilled that her daughter loved to read as much as she did. Sam has established her own family tradition by reading with her children (Joshua, age 9, and Rachel, age 5) every night.

Sam loves exercising, especially running. She ran the mini-marathon in Indianapolis with her cousin. She ran 7 miles before an injury flared up, but she did walk the remaining 6 miles to finish the race.

Best Experience at IPFW:

Her best experiences at IPFW has been meeting fellow math majors and becoming friends with them. This has made the college experience fun for her, especially during the last two years.

Work for the Dept:

Samantha has worked for the department in the Math Test Center and as a teaching assistant for various MA 113 instructors. She has especially enjoyed the experience of working with the large lecture sections of MA 113.

Favorite Movie: Pete’s Dragon (her family made popcorn and watched the

movie together). Any Christmas Movie!

Favorite Books: The Left Behind Series by Lahaye and Jenkins. Books by

Frank Peretti

Proudest Accomplishment:

After having her first child, Samantha began to question why some families seemed to “work” while others floundered. With the patience and understanding of her husband’s family, she searched for answers to questions concerning the deeper meaning of life. This search led her to become a Christian, and to develop a purpose for life that goes beyond her own needs. She is proud that she has raised her children with Christian values, especially when she sees how caring they are toward others. She is deeply moved when Joshua or Rachel comes home from school and asks the family to pray for a friend who is sick.