2024 PRIME Graduates
Congratulations to the Summer 2024 graduating mathematics education doctoral students!
The Program in Mathematics Education (PRIME) graduates are Rileigh Luczak and Brady Tyburski. Sheila Orr and Melvin Peralta are graduating this summer from the Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education
(CITE) doctoral program. The graduates were celebrated with a luncheon on Friday,
April 26th before the MSU Advanced Degree commencement ceremony.
Rileigh joined PRIME in Fall 2018. Her research interests focus on adolescents' experiences
in out-of-school mathematics programs and how their sense of belonging is affected
by program practices.
When asked about her most fond memory at MSU she said, “I loved taking classes with my fellow education graduate students because they provided opportunities to regularly discuss new ideas with my peers.”
As she prepares to graduate, we asked Rileigh for advice for current students. She said, “Graduate school doesn't have to be your whole life – make sure you have a hobby or two that's not related to the work you do in mathematics education!”
Rileigh will be defending her dissertation in June. After graduating, Rileigh will be working as a co-site director at BEAM (Bridge to Enter Advanced Mathematics) Summer Away New York, a residential mathematics program for students from historically marginalized and low-income communities. In the fall, she plans to work with an out-of-school mathematics program.
Brady started the doctoral program in PRIME in Fall 2019. He commented that he will
miss the most the everyday conversations with his fellow grad students, which have
grounded him during his time at PRIME. Brady said, “My grad student colleagues and friends have taught me so much on this journey, as
we jointly navigated the joys, sorrows, and everything in between together.”
When asked if he had any advice for current students, Brady remarked, “Be on the lookout for chances to meet and learn from people from outside of PRIME and the College of Education. Find one-off events that sound fun, explore options to take concentration courses in other departments, cold-email someone you'd like to talk with, or even apply for the various cohort-based fellowship programs that exist. It can take work to find these chances and take the first step. But, these sorts of opportunities and especially the friendships and collaborations I formed along the way, have been the most important to my personal and professional growth.”
He continued, “I've experimented with and embraced arts-based approaches to research as a STEAMpower fellow, collaborated with biologists and literary theorists, and co-organized multiple working groups on graduate mathematics education. These interdisciplinary opportunities are the things I'm the most proud of, but they wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't gone beyond PRIME.”
Similar to Rileigh’s advice, Brady added, “Oh, and on a personal note: don't let grad school be your life. Cherish the relationships with friends who know nothing about your PhD program, cultivate or pick up a new hobby, go see a show at the Wharton, or host a movie night with grad colleagues over the weekend. I realized time and time again that I did my best work when I was well rested and felt enriched in other areas of my life.”
Brady will be defending his dissertation on June 6th. After graduating, Brady will be a postdoctoral fellow in graduate STEM education, in the Biology Education Research Group at the University of Georgia.
Melvin Peralta will be defending his dissertation on May 21st. He accepted a position as a clinical research assistant professor at New York University.
Sheila Orr will be defending her dissertation on June 5th. She accepted a postdoctoral position through the National Science Foundation, NSF, and her mentor will be Dr. Frances Harper, a 2017 graduate of the PRIME math ed doctoral program.
Congratulations to our graduates and their families! We wish them the best in their future endeavors! Please stay in touch with us. More photos of the graduates from the PRIME graduation luncheon are below.
Written by
Ansley Duke
