I want to emphasize statistics more at the high school level, as it can be one of the most appealing applications of math for many students.”
Jera’s Story
Jera Mendenhall Hawn loved high school. “I was blessed with wonderful teachers and fun extracurricular activities.” During the summer of her junior year she attended North Carolina’s Governor’s School for Mathematics and met professors from a variety of colleges and universities. “I thought they had found the perfect career. They were able to share their knowledge and work to make it fun and applicable to our lives.”
Inspired by the desire to become a college professor, Jera majored in statistics for her undergraduate degree at North Carolina State University and began work on her master’s degree in the same subject. “Throughout college I spent a lot of time tutoring and I realized that I most enjoyed working with students at the high school level. High school teachers have the power to motivate students and influence their choices for the future.” Jera also believed there was a lack of emphasis on statistics in many high schools and wanted to turn that around Jera earned her master’s degree in education from North Carolina State.