My name is Randy Davila. I am an Assistant Professor of Data Science at the University of Houston-Downtown and an Adjunct Professor of Computational and Applied Mathematics at Rice University. My bachelors degree is in Applied Mathematics from the University of Houston-Downtown, my masters degree is in Computational and Applied Mathematics, and my PhD is in Mathematics from the University of Johannesburg (South Africa).
As of 2021 this channel has been mainly devoted to posting supplemental videos for my students. Beginning January 2022 I will be uploading content for everyone! I plan on making videos focusing on mathematics, data science, and programming.
I crashed in my A'levels and barely got good grades in Maths. I couldn't get accepted into any decent university and then I took GED, completed my English honors and MBA and now I'm going to pursue Mathematics Honors. Thank you so much for your motivation.
@@hatterbooks4372 Yes go for it! You have my best wishes! Technically I passed my A'levels back in 2013 but the results were very bad. I took the GED test and I used that for my admission for the education of my Bachelor's degree. I went onto complete my postgraduate studies as well. I came from behind and I'm still marching. You can do it too. Cheers and best wishes!
@@hatterbooks4372 Sure of course you can do it! You have my best wishes and full support as well. I took my A'levels back in 2013. I was a Cambridge A'level candidate. As I have said in the comment above, I didn't do well in my A'levels and kind of crashed out. I then took the GED test, excelled it and found the path to my University life. Taking the GED test gave me so much confidence and made me find my resolve once again. You have the potential. Whether you finish it with A'levels or GED, remember this: You have the ability to succeed. Best wishes for your future. Cheers!
@@hatterbooks4372 A pleasure. I am happy I'm inspiring someone. Best wishes for you. You have the potential. You can do it! I took my A'level examinations (Cambridge) back in 2013, and the results were not so so good. I took the GED, regained my confidence and moved forward ever since. I was lagging behind, hit rock bottom, but I have risen up and came back and I am still marching forward. You can do it too. Cheers!
Thank you for sharing! I hope that your peers in grad school had more respect for you as an individual and intellectual...why are undergrads laughing at using punctuation? Even some people with PhDs don't know how to write.
You need to make shorter videos and use computer whiteboards, they have better visibility, you're good in math but you need to make an effort on the format maybe. Good Content, keep the good job !
Update: I named my first born child Morgan after my best friend that passed away. Also, I lecture undergraduate and graduate students at Rice University now 😊
Dude! I hope you go back to those high school teachers in BelAir and show them what you’ve done! They’d start crying with you, too. When I have students someday I want to share your story with them. So much of our limitations are imposed by others when we need our own way. It’s scary but you literally made a new path for yourself and others, I’m sure. Excelsior!
I watched this from beginning to end. Amazing story, thanks for sharing Dr. Davila. Did you ever go back and visit your teacher(s) from high school who funded you? I feel like a good teacher like that is often the make or break of a student's progress in education.
I am embarking on a PhD in Computer Science after working for a few years post undergrad, also coming from a GED. I was nervous about some of the courses, but have spent the last six months brushing up on mathematical foundations for work in data science and theoretical computer science (set theory, proof writing, discrete math, calc, college algebra - logarithms and sequences/series). I watched a video of Leonard Susskind talking about how he felt out of place at Cornell because he came from a working class background, so this is normal. I think the key is to take the anxiety/fear and use it to address the cause, rather than giving up. This is a beautiful story, thanks for sharing!
I remember seeing this video when it first came out. I was in college at the time. I found it relatable, as I was a high school dropout. I think I received five passing grades in my high school career. Given that I was a junior when I dropped out, I think that speaks volumes about my academic prowess as a high school student. However, though I had a rough start in college, I ended up doing quite well. I currently work in banking and am debating whether to get an MBA or a JD. Thank you for the video.
I did well in math in grade school but I lacked the parental structure. My parents didn't care despite my dad having an engineering degree. My parents didn't care so why should I? My mom always told us we weren't going to college and that they would never help us. They were true to their word. However, at about 22/23 I started attending community college. I did that for a few years while working full time. Eventually I transferred to a university and with the support of my now wife I was able to graduate with degree in engineering. I put in a lot of hard work and started from algebra II. It's a long journey but anyone can do it. Be patient and be easy on yourself.
started learning linear algebra and calculus with R and Rstudio, and after watching this and other videos Julia is starting to look like the way to go. This is exactly what I was looking for, and it looks much simpler and efficient in Julia. I will miss Rstudio though because im not convinced notebooks or VScode are better, but we'll see. Thanks!
This was a messy proof as mentioned in the video. However, it should not be difficult to show that the set of elements in the sequence is equal to X by using subset arguments. A lot relies on the Well-Ordering Property here.
I legit teared up watching this, this was extremely inspiring. I hope to one day be a professor in Computer science, this has really motivated me to keep persevering. Thanks so much for sharing
i was in my 2nd year of uni, and i am finding it tough. Currently, I feel lost as to what I should be studying, as I've been fleeing from textbook to textbook with no indepth knowledge of the subject at hand. Thanks for giving me the inspiration.
Oh my goodness, thank you so much for sharing. This is so incredible and powerful. I am a math educator and it makes me want to take some of those classes you talked about!! I am obsessed with teaching math. This was so unforgettable to me. I have a lot to say.
Thank you Dr. Davila. I don't know how this popped up on my RU-vid but I needed to hear your amazing story. I'm 40 years old now and had dropped out of high school at 17. I got my GED at 30. I struggled with the math as well. Before I took the GED test I decided to study the math from beginning to end using the McGraw-Hill's GED Math prep book for 8 months. I studied everyday and took the tests, quizzes & did the practice questions. I passed all subjects with flying colors and scored a 92% in the math!!!! I want to go to college and become a Nurse Practioner and your story lit a fire in me and gave me encouragement and hope. Thank you!!!!
I dropped out of higschool at 16. I had the exact same experience.. from the middle school teacher saying i wouldnt amount to anything to falling behind in all my maths and classes. Got work through my dad and worked for a while... and watched everyone i knew go to college. I learned what GED was and... when i studied and managed to get it.. i couldnt believe it was a possibility for me to go to college. I still cannot believe I am in college. I want to get a PhD in mathematics. This video is insanely inspirational. Thank you
This was really inspiring. I'm glad there are so many people online like yourself who are willing to share their stories and motivate those who might feel trapped. I dropped out of school right after 8th grade and much like yourself ended up spending a lot of time just skateboarding and working for my father. Unfortunately I've never got around to obtaining my G.E.D. during my 20's as I've always felt intimidated and "too dumb" to even give it a try. I ended up moving overseas around a year ago due to a long distance relationship, and while I'm happy with my partner I'm unhappy with feeling worthless on both ends of the planet due to a lack of an education. I'm tired of settling for warehouse jobs and running away from an education just because I feel "stupid". My math skills are very basic, I never even got the chance to learn anything past multiplication in school before dropping out, but for the first time ever I've been recently trying to improve my skills and study here at home overseas. I'd like to return to America someday, but not empty handed. I'll only return when I feel I can pass the tests as it would open up so many opportunities. Your story has really inspired me, thank you for sharing it and congrats on your well earned success!
