Baylor Math Story: Rita Dicarlo

Meet Rita Dicarlo, a senior mathematics major at Baylor University. As her undergraduate journey comes to a close, she reflects on the unexpected joys and meaningful connections she found in the Mathematics Department.

Rita Dicarlo

As I reflect on my time at Baylor, I find it sweet that many of my fondest memories occurred in math classrooms and faculty

 offices. Many friendships began and developed in math classes, and I received unwavering support and compassion from my math professors. As an international student, finding community can be challenging, and finding advisers rare.  With my parents being in Italy, and US school systems greatly differing from European ones, I often found myself having questions and not knowing who to turn to for advice. It was in situations like these that many of my math professors stepped up and became wonderful mentors. I clearly remember the afternoons spent discussing possible careers with Dr. Davis and contemplating different decisions in Dr. Erickson’s office. They are but a few of the math faculty members who changed my life with their advice and patient guidance, and I am incredibly grateful for their continued support in the past four years. 

When I was applying to colleges, I originally chose to apply as an Applied Mathematics major for two reasons: firstly, because it would aid me in my study of statistics, and secondly because I wanted to understand the pretentious math scribbled on boards in movies. 

Stepping into my first math class at Baylor, Linear Algebra with Dr. Graber, I realized I was in for a real adventure. The study of vectors, planes, and matrices was mind blowing for freshman year me. I was absolutely in love and totally out of my depth. If you ask Dr. Graber, he might still remember that I was constantly in his office, asking questions about the content and every related math subject I could think of because I could not get enough of the beauty of math and how everything simply seemed to click. 

For the next four years, I enjoyed every moment of diving deeper into math. My classes grew challenging, but I loved how they stretched my brain and built me into a resilient individual who is willing to try and fail for the sake of understanding. As I prepare to graduate, I am excited to continue my math journey as an actuarial analyst. However, more than any math knowledge, I will carry with me the true legacy of the Baylor Mathematics Department, a legacy of curiosity, passion, patience, and kindness.