MOTOKO KOTANI
Motoko Kotani and Sylvie Paycha
I was very shy as a child. I enjoyed reading books and studying, but not really talking to my classmates. I would read books, and ask my junior high and high school teachers questions. Not necessarily just in mathematics, but in many other fields. However, I found that the only subject where a child like me could talk on equal footing with the grownups – the teachers – was mathematics.
I chose mathematics despite not being very confident in my abilities. I made that decision because I thought, I only have this one life. If I do not do what I want, I will not get a “redo.” I think you should do what you really want to do.