Rayshawn Floyd ’26

Rayshawn Floyd is on a mission to become a math teacher so that he can “bring out a skill in middle school and high school students that they may not know they have.”  As someone who has always enjoyed math, Rayshawn wants to inspire teenagers to embrace numbers as well. A returning adult student who has balanced going to school full time with working full time, Rayshawn will be graduating with his associate degree in Teacher Education Transfer degree.

He shared the inspiration behind wanting to pursue a career in teaching saying, “Middle school and high school years are when some students stop enjoying math including algebra, trigonometry, and calculus which are more complicated. That’s why I want to help out with students at those ages. They may not think they can do it, but they can. It’s interesting to watch them develop in their math skills, that’s great to watch firsthand.”

Rayshawn is in the SUNY Reconnect Program, which offers New York adults between the ages of 25-55 who do not have a college degree the opportunity to earn their associate degree in select programs for free. He describes the program as a “great blessing,” allowing him to continue going to school and move one step closer to his goal. This fall, he will be transferring to SUNY Empire State University to pursue his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and then go on for his master’s degree in Education to become a Math teacher.