Berks' Best 2024 mathematics winner Eric Yazemboski hopes to pursue career in defense industry
May 17—Eric Yazemboski knows that not everybody feels the same way that he does. In fact, he's probably in the minority.
He knows that when the word "math" comes up, a lot of people cringe. They think it's complex, they think it's something their mind simply can't fully comprehend.
Yazemboski doesn't believe that.
"A lot of people think it just comes naturally," the Conrad Weiser High School senior said. "Most people think they're bad at math, but if you put your mind to it and are passionate about it you can be good at it.
"I believe there's some kind of math everyone can be good at."
Yazemboski certainly is passionate about math, and he's passionate about exposing others to the joy he finds in the subject. And that has led him to be named the Berks' Best 2024 winner in mathematics.
His love of math developed in middle school, Yazemboski said. In seventh grade he was invited to skip pre-algebra and move right into algebra 1.
"Seeing myself being able to succeed in a math class a year above my age, it really boosted my confidence in my own math abilities," he said. "I kind of ran with it from there."
Yazemboski has continued his accelerated path throughout high school, doubling up on courses and taking Advanced Placement classes. During his senior year, he has taken a calculus 2 course at a local college.
While some might look at all those advanced math classes as taxing, for Yazemboski they're fun.
"I find great joy in solving math problems because each one is like a puzzle and no two puzzles are the same," he said.
Yazemboski loves math so much he even does it in his free time, saying he does "fun math" outside of school. That includes competing with his older brother to see who can solve complex problems faster.
And, Yazemboski shares his affinity with his Conrad Weiser classmates. He hosts after-school calculus review sessions where he offers guidance to other students.
"I get so much joy from it," he said. "I do it for my own love of the math."
Yazemboski plans to use his skill at and love for math to pursue a career in the defense industry. He will attend Rochester Institute of Technology this fall to seek a master's degree in computer engineering.
It was during a visit to RIT that he heard from a current student who talked about his internship that allowed him to work on things like optics for military rifles and the M1 Abrams tank.
"It struck something within my head, I wanted to be able to do that," he said.
But that's not the extent of Yazemboski's plans. He said he imagines his time in the defense industry as limited, as he wants to have a second career in education.
"I have too much passion for math, I don't want to go my whole career not teaching," he said.
