Bella McManus/Chinook

Charisma Gallagher posed for a photo at the STEM Center

By Bella McManus

Charisma Gallagher and Davin Ro are two students majoring in math here at Casper College. The two spoke about their background with math, why they chose to pursue it, and what they see themselves doing with their degrees in the future. 

While there is always a need for degree-seeking students in every field, the demand for math majors is steadily increasing. This is due in part to the growing technological field in today’s society, and in part to the shortage of math and science teachers throughout the nation. From mathematicians to financial analysts, statisticians to math teachers, math degrees are always in  high demand, and extremely valued by employers.  

Gallagher, who already completed her associates in secondary education, explained that math is like the backbone of many careers, but additional courses are necessary depending on the specific career goals of a student. 

“There’s statisticians, but you have to take the statistics courses; there’s financial analysts, but you have to take the financial classes for that. There’s scientists and stuff that do a lot of math, but you have to take the science stuff.”  

Gallagher said she is looking to become a high school math teacher. She said that during the summers, when her students are out of school, she wants to continue studying subjects like statistics, and she hopes to eventually become a college professor of math. 

Gallagher’s love for math began because her parents both have good math brains, so she said they raised her to be good at math. She said her mom made her and her two younger siblings practice their multiplication tables until they got to know their facts well, and her dad did not allow them to use a calculator. 

“I hated it at first but those memories are kind of what helped me fall in love with it,” she said.  

Gallagher said her love for teaching came as she helped raise her siblings and teach them what her mom first imparted to her about math.  

This semester, Gallagher is taking a class on the history of math and said she loves seeing how math came to be and all the different ways it can be applied today. Her favorite part of math is the application aspect of it. 

Gallagher said, “It’s kind of the worst part — like the word problems you have to do in high school — but I like seeing the background and seeing exactly how everything works out in the end.”  

Bella McManus/Chinook

David Ro poses for Photo for the Casper College Chinook

Ro, a second-year student currently double-majoring in computer science and math, plans to transfer to the University of Arizona to complete his bachelor’s degree in computer science next semester. He says that his two degree choices complement each other very well, and having knowledge in one makes the other significantly easier to comprehend. “In my mind they’re just very very good compliments of each other.”

Not many things in life truly challenge Ro; he said he finds that most learning comes very naturally to him. He enjoys his two majors particularly because they make him think critically about the world around him. 

“My favorite part of it is it actually forces me to put in a deeper thought behind what’s happening and how these things work –why these things work. And it gives me a better understanding of most of our world today as well,” he said.

Ro is also captain of the forensics team at Casper College. 

He admitted that when you think of computer science and mathematics, speech and debate and public speaking are not typically things that come to mind, but Ro said he loves being able to learn about his areas of interests, but that he also brings the skillset to present that knowledge to both large groups and individuals. 

Ro said he thinks this is something that is lacking in many fields, “especially in the tech world…. There’re so many people that are really, really good at what they do… but then a lot of times they’re not able to efficiently and effectively present these ideas and concepts to other people.”  

While all majors are challenging in their own way, a degree in math is unique in its relevance to such broadly different goals and careers. Both Gallagher and Ro demonstrate that though their end goals differ, math is the common road that will get them there, and their passion for the subject will take them far. 

According to Ro, “The best thing that I honestly could ask for in world as complex as the one we live in now, is the ability to have this form of thought process.”