Introducing Angelina Abdelrahman, a junior at UC San Diego who is studying math “to be the best possible teacher for my students.”
Her parents were born in Egypt. In this country her father, with limited English skills, has supported the family by delivering pizza.
Meanwhile Angelina and her two siblings—one in medical school and the other studying to be an engineer—are thriving at UCSD.
In a math department where building relationships with has been challenging, Angelina has made social connections elsewhere on the sprawling campus.
She is a founder of “Yalla, Let’s Talk!,” a club designed to promote the unity brought by language. For club members, Yalla (which translates loosely as Let’s go!) is place where the children of native Arabic speakers can strengthen their language skills outside of the home.
Angelina’s interest in math and teaching started at The Preuss School, which she attended in junior and senior high.
Today, as a Triton Tutor, she performs online tutoring in multiple subjects for underserved middle school students. She volunteers for School on Wheels, Inc., which serves students who identify as homeless. For still another organization, Paper Airplanes, Inc., Angelina teaches English online to Arabic speakers.
One of them is her age, 19, and lives in Gaza.
“I really connected with her; she wants to go to Oxford,” Angelina said. “Teaching math is easy, but teaching someone English—that really pushes you to teach differently.”
