Conan Ugaz

I am pursuing a bachelor's degree in math with a computer science minor at Virginia Tech. At VT, I am a Fellow of the Bradley Study Center, where my fellow students and I explore the rich intellectual traditions of the Christian Faith; I am involved in the Eta Sigma Phi society for classical Greek and Roman studies; I am a member of the Math Club at Virginia Tech; and I am the secretary of the MSG professional development club, which helps students prepare for the Graduate Record Exams and travel to math conferences in the region. In 2024 I received the T. W. Hatcher Scholarship award for mathematics students.

In high school, I was very involved in classical studies and the TJ Latin Honor Society. I received two gold medals and certificates of recognition from the Classical Association of Virginia for high performance on their Latin examinations. I received the second place sweepstakes award and the Hughlings H. Himwich award in the Virginia Junior Classical League Convention of 2022. I scored among the top 10 in several examinations during the National Junior Classical League Convention of 2023. I was the recipient of a cash award from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South for the Advanced Latin Translation Contest.

In high school, I tutored a few of my peers in calculus. As an older brother, I have also tutored my two younger sisters in various levels of math. I was a member of the TJ Latin Honor Society, which required members to provide tutoring services to students in the lower levels of Latin. I tutored students who were struggling in Latin 1, and we worked together during lunch periods to help reinforce the material. Although progress was not always immediate, I was happy to see gradual improvement over time in their understanding and proficiency in both grammar and vocabulary.

In college, I have taken many rigorous math classes. I have spent a great deal of time working with other students in office hours and clubs, both to help other students and to seek help for myself. I spent several sessions at the whiteboard with a younger student, a fellow math major struggling in multivariable calculus, helping him to build his mathematical intuition and refine his problem-solving methods.

I have had the privilege of taking several summer courses with Fairfax Collegiate, including robotics, forensic science, and both visual and computational programming classes. I have been programming in Java for about 6 years now, and in Python for about 5 years. I also have taken classes in college where I learned MATLAB, C, x86_64 Assembly, and LATEX. I have also taken many different computer classes which have dealt with Scratch, Arduino, CAD, Raspberry Pi, Minecraft Java, and Lego Robotics.

I am currently pursuing a mathematics degree at Virginia Tech and have taken many rigorous math classes such as topology, modern algebra, and vector calculus. I have also participated in math competitions such as the Putnam Competition. I have also taken a fair number of computer science classes both in high school and college, with experience in graphics and visual programming, as well as data structures and artificial intelligence. Finally, I am a Thomas Jefferson alumnus and National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, scoring 1490 on the PSAT and 1540 on the SAT.

The moment that a key idea clicks for a student is very special. I love witnessing a student reap the benefits of their hard work that they have invested in developing their understanding and mastery of the concepts. I especially love being part of that process and guiding them on the way to success, even though it must ultimately be them who takes ownership of their learning.

I love the classical studies, ancient Greek and Latin literature and culture. I did competitive Latin in high school, but now I simply like to read and appreciate the ancient writings. I enjoy playing volleyball in both the grass and sand. I like writing notes and assignments by hand especially with a fountain pen. I enjoy cooking, especially experimenting and finding new recipes. I also love reading fiction novels, and I am currently reading Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I have just started learning how to skateboard.