Today we’d like to introduce you to Henry Graves.
Hi Henry, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello, first of all I would like to thank everyone who reads my story and feels inspired to help others. My story really began with my grandmother as she was the one who raised me and taught me the value of education and being selfless to help others. She was strict but gentle and caring and she made sure that I was able to read, write, and do mathematics before i was 5 years old. I arrived here in Houston from Nigeria in 1995 at the age of 9 with my 3 sisters and both of my parents. I am a mixture of both African and American cultures and values. It has created an interesting hybrid in how I approach education and helping others in mathematics. Once I arrived here, I noticed that a lot of my peers were behind in their reading and overall education. There was a program called Accelerated Reader in Pasadena ISD and I was able to earn first place in the program when I was in the 4th and 5th grades. I had to overcome being forced to repeat the 3rd grade because I was not a native American English speaker. It was this first obstacle that forced me to realize that I will always have setbacks in life but it is not how you get hit, but how you rise above it all. As I progressed in life, I had to learn to balance the demands of my parents and the Nigerian/Igbo culture and values. It led me to try and make my parents happy and try my hardest to become an engineer. It wasn’t until I met my adopted mom/godmother, Dana, that I met someone with the same values that my grandmother raised me to be. She is my literal role model and she taught me that it is about your own suffering, it is all about the suffering of others. She also taught me, just like my grandmother, that if you see a man that is down, you give him your hand, you help him up, you dust his back, and you get him back on his feet and back on the right path. For no human being is ever truly lost in this life. It was these values that helped me overcome my failure to please my parents and gain an engineering degree. Yet I managed to turn that disappointment into a desire for education and to help others. It has led me to gain a Bachelors of Arts in History and a minor in Religious Studies from the University of Houston. Then the Lord blessed me with the chance to get a Masters of Business Administration degree with dual concentrations in Information Systems and Project Management. I am in the middle of attaining my Doctorate of Education so that I can learn the intricacies of running my own learning center. My ultimate dream is go to back to Owerri, Nigeria to build and grow a learning center that caters to those who are not able to gain the opportunity for education. For I believe that through education and selfless people can we make the world a better place for future generations. I guess to summarize I am an example of the American Dream, for you can work hard, trust in The Lord, do good to others, and be kind always and things will work out for you, even through all of the obstacles that life will throw in you way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Well one of the first struggles that I faced was as an immigrant, was that I had to overcome certain barriers in language and culture to make my own way in this life. I remember the first day that I went to elementary school in Atkinson Elementary at the age of 9. I was crying the entire day because I did not understand what they were saying in class. I was always a good student and I felt lost without my beloved grandmother. I ran home and I begged my mother and father to send me back to Nigeria so that I can be with my grandmother but of course that was denied to me. I struggle a lot with my own mental health and I have to do a lot of work to get through the days. I believe that it is thanks to the love of The Lord, my wife and my adopted mom, that i am able to overcome any past and future obstacles in my way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in helping children and adults understand and love math. I actually understand that a lot of people have a fear of math and numbers but I do my best to show them that it is not so bad. I do my best to build positive relations and overall good vibes to inspire confidence in students to succeed in not only math but in learning core life skills. When I started my business in 2013, I did it only as a side job to help pay for my alternative certification program. I never imagined that it would grow so much that now I am helping students who are in China and in other parts of the world. What sets me apart from a lot of other teachers is that I am very much like my students. We share a lot of interests and hobbies so there is much for us to build on. I always joking say that I am just a taller, bigger, and smarter version of my students and clients.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
A lot of folks are surprised when I tell them that I never got a math degree because my math skills stretch up to pre calculus. I would have gotten through calculus and become an engineer but I just couldn’t get past that roadblock. I understand that math isn’t for everyone and frankly i do not blame them. You have to find a teacher who loves to teach it and thinks that it is the most coolest subject ever. People absolutely love my algebra tattoo that I designed; it looks like a palindrome so that no matter how you stare at the tattoo, you will read algebra. Algebra is one of my first loves and I love to help others understand math.
Pricing:
- 30 minute consultation: $25
- 60 minute consultation: $45
- 90 minute consultation: $60
- 120 minute consultation: $70
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.henrymathgraves.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henry.graves.3517/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Henry-Math-Graves/61559612152250/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henry-g-346a3a64/
- Twitter: https://x.com/MyYungone25
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@henrymathgraves86
