Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Tarcia Hubert.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My journey with M.A.T.H formally began when I received my first job as a math professor at Austin Community College. I was teaching at a diverse campus, but my classes were comprised of predominantly Caucasian students. I was curious to know why the demographics of my classes weren’t matching the demographics of the student body population. I was witnessing on a daily around campus. After doing some research, I found out that the majority of the minority students were taking developmental math courses, and I was only teaching college-level math courses. Therefore, in the following semester, I started teaching developmental courses. It was very enlightening and refreshing for me because I had a desire to help people who looked like me and came from similar backgrounds as me (minority, low income, single parent household, etc.). However, there was something of major concern that really bothered me. I began to work with a lot of adult students who were lacking the basic foundations of mathematics. I worked as hard as I could to help students develop these basic skills, but at the same time, I wondered why these students were able to pass through the K-12 system without knowing these foundational skills. Thus, I was inspired to begin working on a doctorate in mathematics education where I was able to research and learn more about ways students learn math and strategies for teaching math, I was also inspired to begin working with younger children to help them develop these important foundations at a young age in order to avoid seeing so many students, especially minority students, struggle in this area. This inspiration led to the founding of Making Awesome Things Happen (M.A.T.H.) nonprofit organization.
M.A.T.H., founded in 2010, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing mathematical proficiency among traditionally underrepresented students (African American, Hispanic, Native American, and Economically Disadvantaged). We provide quality tutoring services and summer camps for free to eligible students. We also provide professional development for teachers and needs-based school interventions. We began operations in Austin, TX and relocated to the Houston area in 2014. Our overall goal is to help students become proficient enough in math to be successful in academics and in life. We also work to increase the number of women and minorities interested in and pursuing STEM fields. Math is truly a gatekeeper for certain groups of students obtaining degrees in general and obtaining STEM-related degrees. In our work, we seek to change the narrative of math being a gatekeeper to one of math being a greeter. We focus on providing culturally relevant mathematics instruction and helping students develop positive mathematical identities.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has definitely not been smooth. It has been a roller coaster ride, full of ups and downs. I have faced many challenges on this journey. First of all, I knew nothing about nonprofits when I decided I wanted to start a nonprofit. I didn’t have a mentor that was knowledgeable about nonprofits either. Therefore, the whole nonprofit process has been a “learn as you go” journey. Another challenge is that I desire to offer our services to students for free because I mainly target low-income students. I want low-income students to be able to have access to the same quality services that students who are not considered low income have access to. With that being said, all of our programs have to be funded through other avenues such as donations and grants. Receiving donations and grants is always a struggle. It’s hard asking people for money, and at the same time having to do it over and over again in order to continue to provide quality services. Things cost money, and if you want to have quality services, you have to invest in what you’re doing. Therefore, funding and finding ways to be sustainable are always a challenge. Finding venues is another challenge. We do not have our own facility; thus, we use other facilities, both publicly and privately owned facilities for our programs. Working with others to schedule use of facilities can be a challenge at times as well. Lastly, believe it or not, I have challenges sometimes with finding students to participate in our programs. Sometimes, we get funding for programs, and then it’s like pulling teeth trying to get parents to sign their children up, or commit to bringing their children consistently. These are the main challenges that I have faced on this journey thus far.
Although I have faced many challenges along the way, God always has a way of keeping me motivated. One of the greatest motivations was when I was invited to the White House in 2016 by the Obama Administration to participate in the White House Conference on Inclusive STEM Education for Youth of Color. It was such an honor to be invited and participate.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Making Awesome Things Happen (M.A.T.H.) – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I mentioned what we do previously; however, I am extremely passionate about mathematics. So much, that it bothers me when I see so many people not excited about math, and even more so when I see people carrying negative attitudes about math. A lot of times, the stereotypes of only Caucasian and Asian males are good in math are so strong that we (those traditionally underrepresented) begin to believe them. I want traditionally underrepresented students to know that they are brilliant and capable of being successful in math, and I take pride in helping students realize that! I don’t want math to be the thing that keeps a student from receiving a degree or pursuing a field that they are really interested in.
What sets us apart is that we are a family oriented organization that is really passionate about young people and their future. All of my family really help carry the load of Making Awesome Things Happen. If anyone has ever been to one of our events or programs, then they know this, because they will see my husband, kids, mom, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends all working to help make the events successful. Everyone is all in and believe in the vision, and I’m very thankful for that.
I am so grateful to God first of all, for all of the visions and provisions He has provided. I’m grateful for my husband and two sons because I sacrifice a lot of time planning and implementing events and programs, and my husband is my personal photographer, videographer, and website manager. I’m grateful for my board of directors (current and past board members) because the board really provides a lot of help with the organization. I thank all of my family and friends as well. They are always supporting me in whatever crazy ideas I may have; they are always right there pushing and cheering me on. I love them all!
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
At this moment, we have a dream center campaign taking place. We have some land located in the small town of Lott, TX, and we are raising funds to begin building the Catina Jones-Ford Dream Center. This facility will be our new home. We will still offer programs throughout the year in the Houston area, but our goal is to host summer camps all summer long at the dream center. We want to bring students from the big inner cities and take them to the country. Our main focus will still be math, but we will also focus on developing youth holistically. We want to make sure that our youth are equipped with what they need to be successful in life. I am extremely excited about what God is doing through M.A.T.H.! I can see the vision in my mind, but I can’t wait to see it in real life. We want to impact and inspire youth from all over the country. You can find out more information about this campaign on our website, www.makingawesomethingshappen.org.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.makingawesomethingshappen.org
- Phone: 2547339660
- Email: mathcamp@makingawesomethingshappen.org
- Instagram: makingawesomethingshappen
- Facebook: Making Awesome Things Happen
- Twitter: @mathcamp2
Image Credit:
5006 Visuals
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