Student Spotlight

Nicole Brown, Marketing Intern Coordinator

Name: Emilia Witt

Major: Mathematics

Occupation: Study Program Coordinator, Academic Enhancement

What is a Student Program Coordinator (SPC)?

The Student Program Coordinators are the direct supervisor of the Peer Tutors of the Peer Tutoring Program. There are five of us this year and each of us has our own team of about 15-20 tutors. Along with overseeing tutoring, we each have our own additional responsibilities, tailored to providing the best support to our tutors and the PTP.

Hometown: Mandeville, LA (just north of New Orleans)

Clubs and Extra-Curricular Activities: Kappa Delta Sorority, Math Club

Hobbies: I love to bake! It relieves my stress and my friends and I get to reap the rewards.

Favorite Food: I have so many favorites! I think my go-to comfort food would have to be peanut M&M’s. I just can’t say no to those.

Favorite Music: I listen to all sorts of music, but my favorite would be country music.

Favorite Movie: My favorite movie really depends on my mood. It can range from Matilda, to any of the Ocean’s movies, to Good Will Hunting.

Pet: I grew up with about 20 pets at any given time, but since we moved, I only have one cat, Josie.

Favorite Restaurant: We don’t have any of these in Lexington, but Copeland’s of New Orleans is my favorite.

Favorite Color: UK blue, of course!

Favorite Holiday: Christmas; my entire family is together and that’s so rare for us.

Best Place Traveled to: There is this little town in the south of France where the water is so clear and crystal blue that you can see the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. I’ve only been there once, but I’d go back in a heartbeat.

What Would You Do if You Had $1 Million: Honestly, if I had the opportunity, I’d stay in school forever just to learn. If I had to be selfish with the $1 million, I’d use it to finance that for as long as possible.

Why UK: I may have grown up in Louisiana, but I was raised a wildcat! My mom got her Ph.D. at UK in the 80’s and has raised all three of her children to bleed blue.

Favorite Class at UK: Last semester I took MA 341: Topics in Geometry. My professor reminded me why I wanted to study math in the first place and renewed my interest in the subject.

Favorite Place to Study: This is going to sound cliché, but I always study in The Study. I’ve just found that it’s the perfect atmosphere to be productive and social at the same time.

Favorite Teacher at UK:  Dr. Carl Lee was my professor for geometry last semester, the professor that did an amazing job making sure every one of his students fully comprehended the material before continuing.

Advice to Others at UK:  Find a major that you love! I started off as pre-med to make my family happy, but I realized that I needed to do something for me. Don’t get me wrong, you can be pre-med/pre-dental/pre-law and love it, I was just doing it for the wrong reasons. I truly love math and I want my future career to involve math. I would suggest that everyone take advantage of the Career Center and take time to figure out what they want to do.

Life After College: I’ll be attending DePaul University in Chicago for the next two years to get my Master’s in applied mathematics with a concentration in actuarial science. My goal is to be an actuary for an insurance company.

Describe Being an SPC in 3 words: Challenging but rewarding!

Favorite Quote:  “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” – Eleanor Roosevelt