Doctor of Philosophy
Mathematics
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Master of Arts
Mathematics
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Bachelor of Arts
Mathematics
Hood College
Math can stir all kinds of feelings. Some students love that there’s always an answer, and a method to get to that answer. For others, math can be intimidating and overwhelming. But if you think you know how you feel about math, Abigail Brackins might change your mind.
“If [students] come in thinking that math is too hard and they can’t do it, my job is to prove them wrong by building their math confidence,” she said. “If a student comes in thinking that math is simple because there’s always just one correct answer, then we will discover together how complex and beautiful math can be!”
Brackins’ enthusiasm for math can be contagious, and she loves answering questions about the subject. One student described her as “unconditionally approachable.” The greatest compliment she ever received from a student about one of her courses? “This could make you really like math if you don’t already.”
Brackins, who grew up in a family of educators, said she got through college because she was able to spend all her time and energy on her education. In her own classroom, she’s inspired by the balance many of her students have to find.
“When I see students with jobs, with families, with busy lives coming back to school, I’m blown away. The strength it takes to go back to school, rather than just keep going, is almost unfathomable to me. AACC students can do very challenging things because they don’t have to do them alone,” she said. “My students take care of each other, from little things like always having a pencil or extra paper to share, to bigger things like texting a classmate who missed class.”
In addition to teaching, Brackins, who has been at Anne Arundel Community College since 2015, is the director of the AACC High School Mathematics Competition. On five Saturday mornings throughout the year, around 130 high school students from across the county come to AACC’s campus to solve math puzzles.
Outside the classroom, Brackins is known as a “craft shark” among her friends and brings her problem-solving mindset to her creative projects.
“I’ve made unconventional Christmas wreaths, like a mathematical torus made from origami and a scale model of the Hirshhorn Museum; a tensegrity structure made from Legos; and a mixed-media collage of Cass Elliot as the patron saint of making your own kind of music. I like to dabble in everything! I’ll take any opportunity I can get to learn something, and each new craft is a fresh puzzle to solve.”
