David Matsushita

I was born in Arlington, Virginia, but I moved to the Bay Area before I was a year old. Since then, I’ve jumped around sunny California, covering both sides of the Bay before moving to Fresno. This made for three different elementary schools, homeschool for middle school, and two different high schools. I was then accepted to UC Berkeley and completed a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.

I’ve always loved helping others, in pretty much any capacity. What brought me the most joy, and what I was best at, was helping my fellow classmates with their math questions or homework. My initial life plan was to become a lawyer, but as I grew, I realized I didn’t quite have the passion for it. After some soul-searching, I decided to do what I had always enjoyed: helping others learn math.

I’ve always loved math, starting from even before kindergarten. My mother subscribed to a puzzle magazine, and I devoured those puzzles, especially the number-based ones. Math class was effectively just another puzzle to me, and I devoured it just as effectively. I regularly entered and performed well in math-based competitions, including a regional speed math competition in high school that I won three years in a row.

As a tutor, I relish the opportunity to explore mathematics from a variety of angles with my students. Any given problem or concept could have a myriad of applications as well as a rich history behind it. Mathematics is extremely interconnected, and learning how each piece of mathematics fits together is both integral to mastering the subject, and very helpful for enjoying it as well. I also try to nurture and encourage in my students a passion for learning and an insatiably curious mind, as I believe these traits to be essential for success in school and in life.

When I am not obsessing over mathematics, my interests include playing video games; reading fantasy and sci-fi (with a smattering of philosophy); enjoying jazz, rock, and classical music; and watching, and yelling about, sports. My biggest passion is still puzzles, however.