“Inch by inch, math is a cinch; yard by yard, it is very hard.” said Dr. Viji Sundar, Professor of Mathematics at California State University (CSU), Stanislaus. She teaches students that numbers are not always worth the intimidation.

    Entering her twenty-first year with HiMAP (High School Mathematics Access Program), a program which began exclusively for girls, Dr. Sundar is a firm believer that children are the future. “We need engineers, creators, inventors, and dreamers,” said Sundar, lecturing in front of a room of students, parents, and future teachers, “We need to go back to our glorious roots that derived from the sciences and math. After all, we were the ones that set our foot on the moon.”

    The HiMAP programs enables students grades 5-12 to work with “coaches,” a term Dr. Sunder uses in lieu of tutor, so that they can work on academic skills that will better enhance their understanding of material they cover at school. These coaches are current high school teachers, CSU Stanislaus students from various departments, as well as students currently enrolled in graduate programs. Some of the represented subject matters include science, reading and writing, technology and more.

     As their mantra proclaims, coaches hope to inspire their students to confront their fear of math and other subject matters step by step. At the same time, the program instills future teachers with the necessary skills needed for success in the classroom. Classes will begin on September 12 and will take place twice a month every active semester on the CSU Stanislaus campus.

     Children can be registered by visiting the CSU Stanislaus webpage for more information under the Mathematics Department Grant and Programs tab.