Our celebration will include two visiting mathematicians to meet with students, answer their questions, and talk about how they use math in their professional and personal lives. Here is a little information on the mathematicians your children will be meeting:
Ms. Sebastian Yemonja Olukun -- Ms. Olukun is well known to everyone in our school community, students and parents alike. But most do not know that she loves mathematics and has come to see how useful it is in all of her life's endeavors. As the Business Administrator for Mustard Seed, Ms. Olukun is responsible for tracking all of the school's incoming funds (including tuition), ordering, purchasing, and payments for goods and services. Prior to joining Mustard Seed, Ms. Olukun worked at Morgan Stanley for nine years. Both of these finance positions have relied heavily on her mathematical skills.
Another theme in Ms. Olukun's life is an involvement in the entertainment industry. She has been both a performer and an entertainment business manager. Ms. Olukun earned a Master of Science degree in Entertainment Business in 2012 from Full Sail University. Ms. Olukun also describes herself as a "clean food foodie". She is a great cook. In 2016 she earned a certification (with Honors) as a Culinary Nutrition Expert from the Academy of Culinary Nutrition in Toronto, Canada. Ms. Olukun is a lifelong learner!
Ms. Olukun has one daughter, Jabari, who graduated from Mustard Seed School and is currently studying at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Olukun graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in Communications, specializing in radio, television, and film.
Mr. James Halliday -- Mr. Halliday is a long-time friend of Mustard Seed School. He has had a long, successful career on Wall Street, and began his involvement with Mustard Seed in 1993, when a colleague at JP Morgan resigned to take up employment at the school (Mr. Lawrence). Since that time, Mr. Halliday has attended almost every Las Posadas celebration, and has served on the school's Advisory Board and on the Board of Trustees. Today, he continues to serve as the Secretary of the Board.
For more than three decades in financial services, Mr. Halliday has specialized in derivatives, a highly quantitative segment of the financial world. He has worked for Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, Citibank and consulted for Fidelity National Information Services, Deutsche Bank and Finance Montreal.
Mr. Halliday studied philosophy and theology at The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in St. Louis, and received a B.A. in Economics from St. Louis University. He is married to Fernanda and has two grown children, Arianne and Sean. In addition to his service at Mustard Seed, Mr. Halliday serves on the board of Buskaid, which offers children living in South Africa's poorest townships an opportunity to learn to play classical stringed instruments, and perform to the highest standards.
Mr. Halliday also is a long distance runner. He has finished 27 marathons so far and has no plans to stop!
These guests will be visiting with students all day long on the 13th. All parents are invited to the special I Love Math panel discussion for Grades 6-8:
Thursday, February 13
Community Room
I Love Math Panel Discussion
10:50am
Our guests will share ways they use math in their professional lives, and also how their hobbies and personal interests intersect with mathematics. They will answering student questions and help celebrate all the excellent problem solving that students have done in the new year. Everyone is invited!
