Margarita was born in Vidalia, Georgia. Since elementary school, she has been fascinated by mathematics. During high school, she knew that she wanted to pursue a degree in Mathematics. She went to Valdosta State University for her bachelor’s degree. A couple of years later, she received her master’s degree in Mathematics from Ohio University. Margarita enjoyed teaching at Ohio University. While she taught her students, she also tried to have a calm and relaxed environment in hopes of decreasing the negative stigma surrounding Mathematics.

Currently, she is working to finish her doctoral program in Mathematics at The University of Iowa where she is a teaching assistant and research assistant. When some individuals think about mathematics, they believe it is a terrifying thing that is out to get them. Margarita tries to help these people to see the beauty of mathematics. She always encourages questions because Margarita believes that one of the best ways to start the learning process is by having a base knowledge of the concept. To have this base knowledge, many students need to be curious about it.

The first year of a Doctoral program can be difficult, and the workload in graduate school can be tremendous. For this reason, the Mathematics Department of The University of Iowa has a program known as the First-Year Buddies. The buddies also give words of encouragement and nuggets of wisdom to the first-year students. It is designed to help them feel the embrace of the mathematical community at Iowa.

Margarita wishes to make a positive impact at the Mathematics Department at Iowa. For this reason, she has spent several hours tutoring undergraduate students in Mathematics. Also, she has helped organize the Algebra Seminar at Iowa. Margarita is currently focusing on her research project that pertains to the mathematical areas of representation theory and arithmetic geometry. The Graduate College Post-Comprehensive Research Fellowship by The University of Iowa will allow her to fully focus on her research this Fall semester. 

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“Hispanic Heritage Month reminds me of my roots. I am proud of my culture and beginnings. I have the dedication and determination of my parents. Despite them having little to no formal education, they have always persevered to provide our entire family with everything we have needed. They have always been my number one supporters. It reminds me that anyone from any walk of life can achieve their dreams. I hope that my story will encourage many others to reach for the stars. Si se puede mi gente.”

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