Danielli Costa graduated cum laude in December 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and with a minor in mathematics and science secondary teaching from the Teach North Texas program at UNT. Ms. Costa is now a gifted mathematics teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School in Dallas and was recently featured on the cover of North Texan.

Ms. Costa said, "Mathematics is such a scary word for many people, but I always found it fascinating! Growing up, math was always my favorite subject. I would say it is because I am a very logical, methodical and rational person. Math is not just about numbers, it is also about making sense and using your higher level thinking skills for every situation. I also always wanted to be a teacher, and having the chance to merge both passions together was something I could never let go by. The UNT Math department was in great part responsible for where I am today. My professors prepared me with both content knowledge (believe me, I have taken 98.7% of all HARD math classes offered by the department! ) and teaching skills, and for that I am very grateful. Thank you to all the professors I had the pleasure of working with!"

If you have a passion for mathematics or for teaching, you can find more information about the mathematics program at math.unt.edu and about the Teach North Texas program at teachnorthtexas.unt.edu.

Photo Credit: Ms. Costa's photo was taken by Jonathan Reynolds for North Texan magazine.