Graduate Student Spotlight: Seth Ricarte
The Program in Mathematics Education (PRIME) is excited to welcome our new graduate student Seth Ricarte.
Seth’s research is focused on undergraduate student thinking and how it manifests itself in their mathematical proof, and student-centered instructional practices that increase both the ceiling and floor of student success. He also is interested in game use in the classroom, homework practices, and flipped or inquiry-based classrooms to foster equitable outcomes/increase student learning and understanding. His main research interests lie in how students think and reason in their mathematical proofs. He is also looking at the transition period mathematics majors face when they move from the computational lower-division courses to proof-based courses such as intro to proofs, real analysis, and abstract algebra.
Before joining the PRIME program, Seth graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics at UC San Diego, Summa Cum Laude, and a MS in Mathematics at Cal Poly Pomona (formally California State Polytechnic University, Pomona). Seth notes that he proudly attended Mt. San Antonio College (a local community college) for four years before transferring to UCSD, and he would not be where he is today without his extremely formative experiences at Mt. SAC. In addition, he worked as a lecturer at Cal Poly Pomona, University of La Verne, and Citrus College.
He was born in Pagadian City, Philippines, but moved to California when he was four years old and lived there his whole life until joining us here at Michigan State University. In California Seth was mainly living in Chino Hills and Covina, but also briefly stayed in San Diego before the pandemic hit.
Seth refers to himself as a “big nerd at heart.” He enjoys video games, watching sports, cooking, and reading books in his spare time. He also has started fishkeeping and has a ten-gallon tank filled with snails, shrimps, fish, and lots of plants. In addition, he enjoys learning foreign languages.
Ricarte’s main extracurricular activity was singing in classical choirs (e.g. not show choir). He sang in choirs for eight years and has travelled around the world to music festivals and competitions. His most memorable trips were competing in South Africa and Slovenia. He’s also visited Slovakia and Croatia, and has performed in Austria, Carnegie Hall in New York, and a national choral convention (ACDA) in Minneapolis, Quebec, and Montreal. Once his schedule aligns, he’d like to join one of the singing groups on campus and get back into it!
When asked about his future goals and what he sees himself doing after graduating from PRIME Seth stated, “Just like everyone, I'd like to find a job! Ideally close to family but let's see where life takes us. Wherever I go, whether an R1 or a community college, I want to make sure that I'm able to work with students since that is the whole reason I chose this field.”
PRIME wants to thank Seth for allowing us to get to know him a little more, and again, to welcome Seth to the PRIME family. We know you will do great things, Seth Ricarte!
