STEM Gateway is so proud of the Peer Learning Facilitator
program but it would be nothing without our awesome PLFs. These student
employees are some of the most passionate, hard working, and skilled on campus.
We are so excited to brag about them every month in our newly created PLF
Spotlight. April’s segment is devoted to the brilliant Marshall Brandenburg!
Marshall has been with the PLF program since 2013 and has served
in Math 116 Topics in Pre-Calculus,
Math 121 College Algebra, Math 162 Calculus I, and Math 180 Elements of Calculus courses. Needless
to say, Marshall is obviously a math gateway course wiz! (Check out the PLF
office hours sheet on our blog for Marshall’s office hours schedule - hint,
hint!!)
PLFs support student learning in their assigned STEM
courses, which typically include helping with in-class work, grading low-stakes
assignments, proctoring exams, and holding office hours. As evidenced in
classroom observations, Marshall’s strengths as a PLF include patience,
professionalism, and compassion. It is clear to anyone who watches Marshall
work with students that he truly cares and makes their success a priority. However,
Marshall’s self-proclaimed greatest memory on the job comes from his work in
office hours. He tutored a struggling student who ultimately received a 100% on
a calculus test. This is no easy feat for a student, and Marshall considers
this to be a significant accomplishment for both the student and in his
position as a PLF.
Although Marshall personally contributes a great deal to the
PLF program, it has developed through the interactions with professional role models
he has met through STEM Gateway. UNM Mathematics faculty member, Derek Martinez,
inspires him with his noticeable passion for the subject mater. Marshall
similarly admires former PLF Program Specialist, Mary Cianflone, for her
devotion to the success of students in STEM fields and compassion as a leader.
Aside from being an awesome student employee, Marshall is
also a STEM student himself. Majoring in Applied Mathematics, he hopes to go on
to graduate school in the field and one day accomplish his personal goals of
being published and working at one of New Mexico’s National Labs. He is well on
his way to accomplishing great things. Marshall has already toured and watched
a presentation from the Center for Non-Linear Studies at Los Alamos National
Labs. He was also accepted to the Mentoring through Critical Transition Points
(MCTP) Mathematics Summer Camp 2015 at UNM.
