Growing up in the mostly immigrant community of Pico-Union in Los Angeles, Dr. Cynthia V. Flores was surrounded by those who had a strong work ethic and an “expressed value in education,” although many had not graduated from high school, let alone college.
“I grew up observing lots of hard work,” says Flores, who is an assistant professor of mathematics at California State University Channel Islands, where she teaches courses on scientific computing, differential equation, and supervises undergraduate research. She is also a rising star at CSU Channel Islands, where she was named the 2018 Business & Technology Partnership Faculty Leader of the Year.
A co-principal investigator of a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation that focuses on increasing faculty representation in STEM, Flores says that she is committed to ensuring that the field is diverse.
“I think about how I can create a pipeline so this path is more accessible to others,” she says.
Flores’ interest in mathematics blossomed when her father insisted that she and her younger sister join him at the flea market every weekend where the family sold goods for a living.
“I was the designated cashier,” says Flores, who, at the tender age of seven, was perfecting her math and developing social skills by interacting with the customers.
“In his own way, my Dad said, ‘you’re good at math.’ He didn’t say those words, but he would give me lots of dollar bills and say, ‘you’re the cashier and you’ll provide the change.’ And even if I would complain and say I didn’t want to carry that much money, or ask if my sister could do it, he would always tell me, ‘you’re fast, you do it right, and in his own way, he was telling me that I was good in mathematics.”
