1. You have so many interesting things going on in your life, how do you make time for it all?
Google Cal & a Pomodoro timer! Plus, the key to my success is making a "NOT TO-DO List" every Sunday. Basically, I go through my to-do list and just take stuff off of it and commit to NOT doing it. Seriously a game-changer. If you want to know more about this whack method of getting stuff done by vowing not to get stuff done, I highly recommend reading Sarah Knight's The Life-changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck!"
2. Hi Vanessa! First of all, thank you for taking the time to contribute to the event! I love your approach towards math - as someone in engineering, I think many people (including myself) gravitated towards the field of study because they were natural with numbers and fit the description that their teachers defined as the "math person". How would you motivate young people in high school to explore STEM fields who don't find high school math as natural but are interested in the concepts and career prospects? Similarly, as an educator, do you think that teachers are changing their influences on students to promote STEM regardless of perceived academic strengths? Thanks!
Such interesting questions! I personally find that we still have this idea of what it means to be a "math person," especially in education. Many teachers still discourage struggling kids from pursuing STEM, and I think that many kids are overlooked. In terms of motivating kids to explore STEM despite hating high school math, I think it's really important to expose kids to the scope of a) what STEM IS, and b) what it means to be "good at" math or science. Being good at math and science can mean thinking creatively, coming up with whack solutions to conventional problems, or simply being the type of person who doesn't give up. It's important to show kids that just because they can't like, rock 578 x 32 in two seconds, that doesn't mean they can't be a successful STEMinist!
3. Hey Vanessa! Just want to start off with saying that this journey and advice you have shared with us is so fun and you seem like such an interesting person! I admire how you really decided that you were not going to be confined to what society decides women should be within math, and it has definitely paid off! (SO crazy you opened for Bon Jovi!!!!!) What would you say is the first step to juggling your passions, and attempting to combine them for your career? I imagine many people, along with myself, have several things they enjoy or wish they could do, both in and out of school/careers, but can't think of how to do everything. What would you say about trying to find that line of balance? Thanks again for sharing! Much appreciated! :)
Thank you so much for your question! So Elizabeth Gilbert (who is totally #goals btw) says in her book BIG MAGIC, that artists shouldn't expect their creativity to pay their bills. I think it's a really interesting concept, and one that we should all give more thought to. I don't know about you, but I find that no one has hobbies anymore! Everyone thinks that like, the second they have an interest, that they should immediately turn it into a side hustle. What happens? That super fun hobby becomes a total drag, and we end up evaluating it by how much cash we're making instead of how much FUN we're having! I think it's cool to combine your passions with your career. But I also think it's important to have passions that you just enjoy, without placing any expectations on them. Make time for work, and make time for play. I know that sounds cliche, but I think it's the best way to make sure you don't burn out, and that you have time and energy that you spend JUST FOR YOUR OWN ENJOYMENT, without ANY expectations on what that passion needs to be or turn into, like, EVER!
4. You rock!!! I've always admired you from a far (or in your Instagram dms haha) because you remain true to your bold and adventurous self in every situation. After transitioning from running TMG by yourself to managing a team of 40 tutors, what is your biggest piece of advice for someone leading a large team (aka me!!). How do you manage to stay on top of everything but not micromanage at the same time? How do you delegate tasks? Tell me you secrets!!! Love ya, Lisa Wight
Haha! Well first of all, I am STILL learning. I think the hardest thing for me as I started to grow, was delegating! But let me tell you: I have turned from a total perfectionist-control-freak boss to a full-on done-is-better-than-perfect-and-outsourcing-is-freedom CEO! I think the biggest piece of advice that I can give you is: done is better than perfect. And it often takes OTHER people to get stuff done, so don't fear delegating - embrace it. That being said, my next biggest piece of advice I have is to find people you trust to get the job done. I get that often it just feels like if you want to get the job done that you need to do it yourself, but if you find the right person - you'll get the job done AND free yourself of the stress of having to do it all yourself! Make sure you have a solid interview process and that you ask your candidates the questions that REALLY matter to you!
5. Following your mentor's advice, maybe 2020 is the disaster that's paving the way for a book of all of your super cool experiences, to add to your extensive list of accomplishments- I could read your stories all day! What elements do you think changed between your Gr. 11 and Gr. 12 math courses? Was it a new approach to studying, or was it more that the fear of math was removed, allowing your true ability to come through? Additionally, why do you personally think fear is so prevalent in math? This is a problem I've certainly had growing up, where I think math is a beautiful language, but still feel the aftermath (pun intended) of learning it through fear.
Such a great question, and the answer is: both! Replacing fear with curiosity paved the way to approaching studying with a different mindset and set of strategies. As for your second question, I really think that women ESPECIALLY, are conditioned to be scared of math. We are told that we're not as capable, we're scared into thinking that we're competing with one another for limited positions in STEM (which is BS btw!), and media tells us over and over and over again that it is a STRUGGLE to be smart AND all of the other things (hello, look at legit ANY ROM COM!). So it's not you - it's them!
6. You are so amazing! I was a math instructor in grade 10 at a Mathnasium and I LOVED it. Math was always my strong suit in high school and it was so rewarding to show people, especially young girls, who thought they were just inherently bad at math that that's not possible!! There are so many different ways to learn and understand it and the South Carolina curriculum did not help (ranked 41/50 in the US for K-12 public education). Best first job ever. Going into environmental biology, I didn't expect to use much math which bummed me out, but it's actually so relevant and I get to use it all the time. I love your philosophy and what you do, TMG looks sick! Now that you're running the business and have a team of 40 tutors, do you still get to tutor kids yourself? And how is everything working now, are you running with Zoom? Also did you get to meet Jon Bon Jovi???? Thanks for sharing, you rock!
Emily Pope
Emily! Okay so most important question first: yes I got to meet Bon J and he was SO nice and gave us a huge pep talk before we went on stage. AND I gave him a care package that I made him and he was def terrified because I was covered in glitter and so was the care package ahhaha! Next, you should totally tutor for us now that we're virtual - you can tutor from Queens! This is actually the first year where I have zero students, which is actually crazy but I didn't even THINK about it until you asked this question! Tutoring over Zoom has been better than I could have ever imagined, and the coolest part is that we can now tutor students from ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD! Can't wait to expand the TMG philosophy worldwide, and for real, hit me up about tutoring!
7. Your story is amazing! Is there a dream guest that you would love to have on your podcast?
A million percent: Jann Arden, Keanu Reeves, Oprah, Paris Hilton and Mindy Kaling are my top 5.
8. Hi Vanessa you have lived such an amazing life!! How did you find your unique journey and interests have benefitted your career in STEM? What skills do you think your passions (life as a rockstar) helped to bring in to your life? I loved reading about your story and hearing about strong women like yourself who are still able to pursue their interests on top of being a math wizard is extremely inspiring!! The advice you received from your mentor really strikes a chord with me, and reflects your wonderful optimistic output on life as whole!!
Thank you so much! There is something to be said about diversity in STEM, far beyond the walls within which we believe diversity exists. Diversity of interests, passions, and hobbies all play a vital role in diversifying what we create and how we innovate. So, I don't really see my interests as being a barrier to my STEM career, but as something that allows me to bring something unique to the table. You know what they say: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And that's exactly how I see it: the whole self is much greater than the resume of "relevant" hobbies and skills that you can list on a piece of paper. Bringing your whole self with you, regardless of where you go or what you choose to tackle, is your superpower. There is NO ONE who thinks EXACTLY like you do. How cool is that?!
9. Hi Vanessa! TMG saved me in high school when I was struggling with gr11 math and now I'm in my third year of electrical engineering and I'm so grateful that I had some awesome tutors at TMG that inspired me to stick with math :) I was wondering what was the most surprising thing you learned when doing your thesis?
First of all, WHO IS WRITING THIS?! Dying of suspense. Okay, the most surprising thing I learned....there were a lot. But one that stands out is the unconscious bias that happens between teachers and students during the marking process. Often when teachers are looking at students' work, they will compliment girls on how "neat and pretty and well-organized" their notes are instead of complimenting them on how interesting their work is, how innovative their problem-solving is, or like, anything else that has to do with the actual CONTENT. This often gives girls the idea that their true value lies in adhering to traditional feminine stereotypes like being tidy, taking up less space, being neat, not stepping too far out of the box. THAT actually plays a huge role in discouraging women from entering STEM where being messy and confident and making mistakes are a HUGE part of the process! Crazy right?!
10. Hey Vanessa - great to see you here! You're an absolute inspiration to girls everywhere, and I think your thought process about math is incredible! You and I have chatted about this extensively, but what do you think high schools and educators of young girls should be doing to increase their interest in math/science?
And since you're such a creative and bold person, what advice would you give to someone who's trying to spark their creative side!!!
Best, Nicole Ooi
Hai gurl haiiiii! Such great questions, AS always. I think that if I was going to point to ONE THING, it would be to encourage everyone in education to get w the program ahahah. Earlier, Lisa asked about delegating. Well, my advice applies here. I think that those in education need to realize that there is a force much greater at them at play here: the media. There is NO DENYING (and I have research to back it!) that media plays a HUGE role in terms of what girls strive to be. I mean, think about Kamala. One of the reasons we're all celebrating is because FINALLY there is someone that looks like FIFTY PERCENT OF THE POPULATION in the White House. THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A WOMAN IN THE WHITE HOUSE. That means that young girls don't really see that job as possible or within the scope of reality. Seeing Kamala there opens up new possibilities for young girls. That's just the way it is. So instead of doing job fairs and putting up mediocre posters showing women in STEM fields, I think that the education system needs to outsource and delegate that task to those in media, PR, advertising, and all of the positions in which THEIR EXPERTISE lies in appealing to a particular demographic. Like, why does the Education Ministry think they have the expertise to fight like, Paris Hilton for example? Media icons like her are actively showing women that being hot is more important than being intelligent. So we need to fight fire with fire. We need to stand up and show girls that being intelligent IS hot. And to do that, we need to outsource. Okay sorry that was a huge rant but this topic gets me SO FIRED UP!