“I love working with kids,” said Ally Aguirre, a second-year Math for Teaching student, and a co-chair of the Math Educators Collective, or MEC. That energy shows up in MEC’s socials, where the atmosphere is relaxed and people are easy to approach. It offers a different feel from what many expect of a typical math space.
Founded earlier this year, MEC has been building a welcoming community for Bruins in the Math for Teaching pathway.
Within UCLA’s mathematics department, the Math for Teaching pathway is a relatively small and often overlooked group. Unlike other math majors who tend to focus on industry careers or graduate school, this major is designed for students who plan to teach mathematics at the high school level.
“It’s really hard to reach out to people when everyone is so spread out on this massive campus, so we created MEC to connect people,” said co-founder Helen Sanders, a second-year student studying Math for Teaching. “There’s a real social advantage to having a space like this.”
Connection is at the heart of MEC. The club hosts both social and academic events — from boba socials to study sessions — where students can meet, work together and build a community around a shared interest in education.
At the same time, MEC focuses on making information and opportunities more accessible. UCLA already offers a range of math education resources, including CalTeach and XP courses that provide structured fieldwork, as well as science education projects and tutoring. For many students, though, the challenge isn’t just that these resources exist, but figuring out how to find them and choose the right path. As Aguirre put it, “It’s hard to know your pathway. Some people don’t even know what XP classes are until the very end.” In that sense, MEC does more than host events. It creates a space where students can share information, support each other and better navigate these opportunities.
Being part of a small community also has its advantages. It gives students more space to reflect on their own goals and build deeper connections with others. For those in the Math for Teaching pathway, MEC helps turn what can feel like a scattered experience into a more connected and supportive community.
