Teachers College Columbia University, Master of Arts in Mathematics Education, 2017. Binghamton University, Master of Arts in Economics, 2015. Binghamton University, Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and Economics, 2012. Current Faculty at the Bronx High School of Science.
Born in South Korea, Richard moved to the United States when he was a baby. He grew up in Queens, New York with his family who stressed the importance of education. He worked hard in Stuyvesant High School where he started the Guitar Club to find others that shared his interest in music and teaching others. He started his path as an educator in high school when he volunteered to teach Korean to younger children at his church and tutored junior high school students for the SHSAT exam.
During his years at Binghamton University, Richard continued to teach by working as a Teaching Assistant for his professor, as well as a tutor to student athletes in many economic courses through the school’s athletics department. Richard also began working at a preparatory school during his summers where he taught students in multiple classes including SAT I Math and Verbal, SAT II Math IIC, as well as various subject classes. Since then, he has helped many students increase their scores, and many of them have received perfect scores on their SAT I and SAT II exams.
After college, Richard returned to Binghamton University to begin Ph. D. program in economics. Although he loved mathematics, he wanted a more practical background in which he could use the theory he learned and apply it to real-world scenarios. During this time, Richard also gained experience as a data analyst, working for the Graduate Admissions Office.
During his studies, Richard realized that he could not turn away from his passion and aptitude for teaching and decided to pursue a career in education. He was admitted to Teachers College at Columbia University where he obtained his second Master’s degree in Mathematics Education. Since graduation, he has been working as a high school mathematics teacher within the NYC Department of Education at the Bronx High School of Science. He is also one of the instructors for the Awaken Education’s SAT class in partnership with the Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York.
In his spare time, Richard enjoys listening to music, watching movies, and football. He is also working on a new mathematics elective course for his school, “Game Theory, Decision-making, and Optimization.” It is an upper-level course that combines his expertise in mathematics and economics, and it is designed for juniors and seniors who are taking or have taken an AP Calculus course.