Meet Katherine Kaylegian. She prefers to go by Kat. Kat has a BS in physics with a minor in math, and is working toward a master’s degree in physics with a focus in optics. She worked as a research assistant in computational neuroscience and high energy physics for 6 years, and in that time published two papers, and is presenting ATLAS research for the American Physical Society this April.
While working as a research assistant she took a position as a tutor in the math department at LCC but was asked to take on an academic coaching role not long after she began. It is a position that excites her because it gives her a chance to provide holistic support to struggling math students. She was a nontraditional undergrad, and when she struggled with life events, she had no place to go and no one to talk to. As a result, she learned a lot about advocating for herself and a lot about working through her math and test anxiety- skills that she passes on to her students.
As an academic coach she is the point person when a student struggles. She likes to be a safe place for them to go to talk about juggling life and school, and she get to make sure that students don’t fall through the cracks. Her newest venture at LCC is as part of the GP Math and Writing Group. This work allows her to address one of the most common barriers to math success that she sees: improper math placement. She works with many stressed students who are improperly placed, and is grateful for the opportunity to participate in a program that allows her to actively work to make a change that will help our students succeed.