Byram Hills High School inducted 59 sophomores and juniors into the Mu Alpha Theta mathematics honor society, a recognition of their achievements in mathematics.
“It is a pleasure to be here tonight to celebrate the mathematical accomplishments of each and every student standing up here,” math teacher and Mu Alpha Theta adviser Elyse Cohen said at the April 28 induction ceremony. “These students have worked hard to be in the seats that they are in today.”
For membership, students need an A average in at least two levels of high school math and must perform 10 hours of community service.
The officers of the honor society spoke about the history and future of mathematics and reflected on their personal experiences during their time at Byram Hills.
Junior India Edwards, one of the honor society secretaries, recalled being inducted a year ago and feeling imposter syndrome, doubting whether she belonged. Her mother advised her to “never waste a crisis,” and she didn’t.
When she used to think of math only in terms of numbers, answers, scores and calculations, India said she had “created a narrow definition of success for myself.” But, she said, “math grew from black and white numbers to a process that values both perseverance, creativity and growth. And in understanding that, I could better understand myself.”
Don’t shy away from crisis moments, India urged the inductees. “Don't let them pass you by,” she said. “Don't let them define you either. Find that middle ground and use them. Let crisis challenge you to think differently, to grow, to discover what you're capable of and how to get there.”
Another honor society secretary, senior Chase Keller, urged the new members to put themselves out there and take advantage of the opportunities that come from being in Mu Alpha Theta. Last year, he helped create a financial literacy program for middle school students and helped lead the first year of the algebra TA program.
“Neither of these existed when I first joined, but they only became real because I took the initiative and used the resources around me to help build something meaningful,” he said. “That's what makes Mu Alpha Theta special.”
Senior Ariana Guido, the vice president, mentioned the discouraging aspect of mathematics, wondering if you’ll ever need to take the derivative of a complex function or recognize a Fibonacci sequence in the future. But, she said, mathematical concepts transcend problem sets.
“Despite popular belief, math requires a significant amount of creativity and outside-the-box thinking,” she said. “It is a training of the brain to think in a unique way that no other subject can quite evoke. So, whether you are choosing to study STEM in college or not, the cognitive skills you have and will continue to harness at Byram Hills will serve you in ways you may have never even imagined. To me, that is your why.”
Senior Alex Lewis, the president, discussed the novel “Project Hail Mary” and the recent Artemis II mission to the moon. The fictional story of a character far from Earth who encounters an alien that does not speak English and the real-life space mission made possible by astronauts, engineers and scientists from many nations both share a powerful idea. “Math is a universal language,” he said.
“Math gives us a common framework for understanding the world and even potentially for understanding each other,” Alex said. “That's part of what Mu Alpha Theta celebrates. Not just solving problems, but exploring a language that connects people across classrooms, countries, and maybe someday, even planets.”
Each new member was recognized and given the Mu Alpha Theta pin.
The inductees were Ava Accurso, Ethan Alderman, Jada Baskind, Liv Bergstein, Luca Blum, Alissa Brickel, Liana Brown, Emma Dallas, Maxwell DeLuca, Sofia DiMeglio, Matthew Dizenzo, Talia Drazner, Zoe Fisher, Siena Giordano, Ava Gitler, Benji Goldberg, Nate Grossman, Sydney Hecht, Paloma Hussain, Ryan Jakubek, Brett Kaplan, Mercer Katz, Alexandra Kayne, Ian Klugman, Matthew Kohl, Hudson Lazar, Ocean Lee, Lila Leon, Daniela Marder, Emery Matusow, Alexandra McLaughlin, John McNulty, Gabriela Olego, Jordan Perry, Kieran Porter, Zachary Price, Maeve Rippy, Lucas Rivalsi, Flavie Rondeau, Kira Rosen, Farrah Rosenman, Juliette Rosner, Eli Roth, Joey Schachter, Darby Schlosser, Jonathan Schoenhaut, Nathan Schweitzer, Max Seiler, Aisling Shields, Nate Siminerio, Kendall Sorenson, Noah Stopnik, Maeve Sullivan, Reese Tolchin, Lila Vincequerra, Kayla Wee, Peter Weil, Benjamin Wolf and Vienna Zeppieri.
Mu Alpha Theta, the national high school and two-year college mathematics honor society, was formed in 1957. It is dedicated to inspiring a keen interest in mathematics, developing strong scholarship and promoting the enjoyment of mathematics in high school and two-year college students. More than 100,000 students are in the honor society in the United States and abroad.