Ryu, an associate professor of mathematics, delivered a keynote talk at the 2025 Mathematical Association of American Southeastern Section Conference as a recipient of the 2024 Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College Mathematics Faculty Member.
Hwayeon Ryu, associate professor of mathematics, delivered a keynote address at the 2025 Southeastern Section Conference of the Mathematical Association of America held Feb. 27 through March 1 at High Point University.
Ryu won the section’s 2024 Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College Mathematics Faculty Member at the organization’s Annual Section Meeting in March 2024. The annual award recognizes early career teachers whose success and effectiveness in teaching undergraduate mathematics exceeds the bounds of classroom teaching.
At this year’s meeting, Ryu delivered a keynote talk entitled “How to Not Only Survive but also Thrive as an Outlier,” as a recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award last year. In her talk, Ryu shared the challenges she has faced, as well as insights from her unique journey, reflecting on the strategies that helped her not only persist but thrive in environments where she did not always fit the mold. Drawing from experiences in teaching, research and mentoring, Ryu discussed the power of authenticity, resilience and community-building in shaping her identity as a mathematician.
“I nominated Ryu for this award and was very eager to hear her acceptance speech,” said Aaron Trocki, associate professor of mathematics.”She captivated the audience in sharing her professional background in learning and teaching mathematics. She used honesty and humor to tackle the serious topic of how to treat failure in productive ways. Undergraduates, through seasoned mathematics professors, have much to gain from the insights she shared.”
After her keynote talk, Ryu received several follow-up emails from undergraduate students who attended the conference from regional colleges or universities.
“I really wanted to give you my appreciation, because I know it must have been hard to both accept that failure is inevitable and tell a room full of mathematicians about your failure,” wrote a student from Belmont University.
Another student from the University of North Georgia wrote: “I really enjoyed hearing about your story and what you have learned along the way. It was very well organized and delivered.”
The Southeastern Section of the Mathematical Association of America includes educators and mathematicians in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.