The most hated subject in high school is, statistically, math. The vice president of CHS9’s Math League was one of them.

“Last year I hated math, but now I see working with math problems as a sort-of game,” freshman Joshitha Balla said. “I realized, wait, this is actually kind of interesting once you get to know the topics.”

Now Balla, along with CHS9 Math League president and founder Greshma Chandrashekar, wants to help students reach their mathematical goals. The club prepares members for success in their math classes and competitive experiences.

“We are the only math club in CHS9, so we bring together lots of math lovers, but also make an environment which is comfortable for other people to express themselves about what they like,” Chandreshekar said. “The competitions are really helpful for people who struggle with math because they are gonna communicate with their peers to work through them.”

At meetings, Chandrashekar and Balla lead students through concepts and complex problems in competition sets.

“We all kind of teach each other in some way, which really gets rid of that lecturer kind of math club,” Balla said. “It’s basically a big group project.”

The club often pulls practice problems directly from problem sets used at competitions.

“Even if club members do not win, they would still understand how the competition works and can try again,” Chandrashekar said. “By doing it in a safe space that they are already familiar with, they might feel more comfortable getting into the zone to progress further in future competitions.”

Not all members participate in competitions. Many simply want to improve skills, and not just the ones that require equations.

“People in Geometry and Algebra II gain a better understanding that they could apply to their class, making it easier for them,” Chandrashekar said. “Our members will improve their critical thinking, problem solving, and of course, their teamwork skills.”

Competitions such as the American Mathematics Competition (AMC) attract participants from across the nation, including many Coppell students.

“We plan on focusing more on logic and problem solving instead of simply memorizing important concepts, because critical thinking is an important factor in getting success at these competitions,” Chandrashekar said.

Despite leading a math club, Chandrashekar is not ashamed of her struggles with math subjects.

“I want to share the knowledge that I’ve already gained from my experience with other people in the hopes that they will use it to further progress on their own learning to reach their ultimate math goal,” Chandrashekar said. “Math has been a roller coaster for me. It’s been fun and hard at the same time.”

Algebra II Honors teacher Gunjan Jain attests to Chandrashekar’s success as both the sponsor of Math League and her math teacher.

“I would say she is phenomenal with the way she leads the club right from day one,” Jain said. “She keeps me up to date, but she is the one doing all the hard work like checking for competitions, preparing meetings, checking with my availability, informing other club members what to bring or expect, and even making sure they have paid competition fees.”

Chandrashekar often leads meetings, teaching core concepts and guiding the group smoothly to solve problems.

“When she gives a presentation, I can see that she easily could be a teacher,” Jain said. “I think the other club members already see her as a role model, because they understand it is okay to make mistakes, it is okay if you are not perfect.”

As an academic club, Math League creates a positive learning environment for its passionate membership. Chandrashekar thinks leadership is crucial to supporting that goal.

“Leadership is all about making sure people understand what you’re talking about and that they have a chance to speak,” Chandrashekar said. “They might not have that chance to speak in their other classes.”

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