Eric Ma
Hometown: Shanghai, China
University: University of Illinois
Major: Mathematics
BIOGRAPHY
Greetings, visitor! Thank you for appreciating my photo! My name is Dun Ma. You can call me Eric. I’m a freshman in Mathematics at the University of Illinois, and it is my first year studying abroad! I’ve lived in Shanghai, China for 18 years and gone to the same school, Pinghe, from primary school to high school. I’m a very academic guy, who have always loved intellectual challenges and Mathematics obviously fits my taste. I like to see the irregulars become regular, and the unknowns become known as I stand on the shoulder of the giants. To enlarge my vision I participated in many mathematics competitions, and I’m continuing to do so. I do Maths for fun. I’m serious! Besides Maths, I also enjoyed programming and playing Bridge (a traditional poker card game). I’m currently working on a project that visualize can visualize up to the 4th dimension. Now I’m trying to extend my vision. I want to explore the fields that I haven’t touched, such as biking across the country!. I can’t wait to get along with this awesome team!
PERSONAL STATEMENT
“Riding across the country? How fun is that!” This is what I thought when I first heard about Illini 4000. I knew I would want to push myself in doing this. For me, this ride will be a brand new experience, totally different from my past life. Joining this team means engaging in a more frequent workout and socializing routine along with a big cultural shock. My life will change drastically because of these. I’m also looking forward to learning more about the life of people affected by cancer. “Everyone has a story to tell” about cancer. Though my grandpa is not lucky enough to survive pancreatic cancer, I was too young back then and didn’t realize the severity of the problem. For now, I’d like to learn how really cancer has affected the lives of the patient and the people around the patient. What can we do for them, and how? I’d like to go deeper into the life of people affected by cancer, understand them and present the stories in a way that people will actually notice.