Age: 25
Hometown: Newburgh, NY
Occupation: Writer & High School Math Teacher
One of your proudest works of writing was a paper on mathematical proofs. What was so important to you about this paper?
It marked a big personal accomplishment for me in mathematics, in my field. I struggled with different types of mathematical proofs in my undergrad, so to finish this final paper was to present a topic that wasn’t covered in class and to teach it. My presentation included proving the field axioms. It was something that I was proud of.
Math is a subject that people may not necessarily associate with writing. What is it like to write about math?
It’s not like writing a traditional paper. It’s procedural. For example, for my paper of field axioms, I had to look at the axioms, use what I had learned in previous classes, and then work through them. I was just putting pen to paper and working through them. It was different in that it was like solving a puzzle, not proving a point. I was learning something as I wrote, not fortifying a predetermined notion.
You like to read about sports. You’ve stated that one of your favorite books is Bill Simmons’ The Book of Basketball? What do you love about that book?
I love how it’s like reading a history of professional basketball, but it’s not high school-textbook-style. It’s through the perspective of someone who understands how social influences throughout the decades have influenced basketball and the NBA. Simmons has a whole chapter arguing why Bill Russell was better than Wilt Chamberlain. Also, he talks about some of the biggest basketball what if’s. It’s interesting to think about how some of those what if’s could’ve changed how the NBA is today. It’s thought-provoking.
If you were to write a book about being a Knicks fan, what would you title it?
Despair. For all the years that I’ve been following the Knicks they’ve only been a contender one year, and that ended with a second-round playoff exit. It’s an emotional roller coaster following them. Every year I tell myself I’m not going to get my hopes up, but every year they do something just big enough to rope me in again. And it always ends badly. I really don’t think it’s going to get any better until James Dolan sells the team. He is the worst team owner in sports. And what’s funny is that they just traded Carmelo Anthony, and now I’m really excited about this season because there are no unrealistic expectations. I know what to expect—they’re going to be bad—and there is no let down in that.
Nick’s Top 5 Disc Golf Courses:
- Maple Hill (Leicester, MA)
- Mine Kill (North Blenheim, NY)
- Warwick Town Park (Warwick, NY)
- Joralemon Part (Ravena, NY)
- The Oasis (Warwick, NY)