Meet the Math Marvel with a Penchant for Propelling Others

When Andy Radicker ’24 came to Bradley University as a first-year, he was sure he wanted to major in computer science. However, he ended up falling in love with math, eventually taking nearly every class the math department offered. Consequently, he switched his major to math with a minor in computer science and graduated in three years.

Getting through college in three years is a feat on its own, but Radicker also worked as a tutor in the Academic Success Center, served as president of the Chess Club and Math Club, and has earned several accolades including the LAS Undergraduate Summer Research and Artistry Fellowship, the LAS Dean Award for Math and Computer Science in the Student Scholarship Expo and the 2023 Norton Speaker Prize.

“Balancing academics, clubs, tutoring, and research was challenging,” he admitted. “However, I enjoyed what I did and the professors in the mathematics department were very supportive throughout my college career.” One of those professors is Michael Lang, who served as Radicker’s mentor for his project in the Student Scholarship Expo in which he researched a complicated math problem using graphs and colors to measure and illustrate his findings.

“Andrew has gone from being sharp but new to having more experience than many graduate students,” Lang said. “He is extremely intelligent and curious, always looking to understand more. He also derives enormous pleasure from helping other people improve their own understanding.”

That’s an understatement when you consider that in a little over two years as a tutor, he had more than 550 tutoring appointments. “Andrew is one of our star tutors in the Academic Center. Students would seek him out for help with their math and computer science classes,” Math Department chair, Tony Bedinokovic said.

“I have a passion for teaching mathematics, so it was important to me to commit to tutoring throughout my time at Bradley,” Radicker explained. Working with so many students gave him the confidence to explain topics in different ways and their feedback helped him become a better teacher, which is what he hopes to do after graduate school. He was one of a few students accepted into a rigorous doctoral math program at another university.  

Although his time at Bradley was brief, he made quite an impact on his peers and professors.Lang, who has had the pleasure of observing Radicker’s impressive feats since he arrived at Bradley, said, “Andrew has taken advantage of every opportunity we offered and even induced us to create new ones.”

—Emily Potts