When my family and I emigrated from South Korea to America in April of 1976, I was only 14 years old and entered school as a ninth-grader. As I recall, I didn't speak any English at the time, and I knew that I had a rough road ahead.

Naturally I struggled through classes in history, literature, and others that required heavy reading. However, I always looked forward to my mathematics classes. The reason? Math is a universal language! The same mathematics was taught in South Korea with the same symbols and logic. Wow! Was I glad… I believe that was the key in building my self-confidence in a new environment.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in mathematics with a minor in computer science, I obtained a job as a computer programmer. Over the next nine years, I designed, developed, and implemented business application systems. During that period, the most important part of programming (other than that it worked) was logic behind the code. There were always many ways to design and code, but there was only one “most efficient” way. And I know that having a background in mathematics helped me analyze complicated requirements and develop clear and concise systems.

During my study in the master's program, I noticed that mathematics was applied extensively in the business world. For example, determining the optimal capital structure, the break-even point, the point of diminishing return, stock volatility relative to market, and correlation analysis—the list was endless.