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"I loved math. I loved algebra. I really loved geometry, [but] I hit the wall at pre-cal," said Rocca. "That's the problem," said Whitney, "because you were only given one road to go through mathematics. You got the impression that once you hit the wall, that's it. There's nothing more for you. In fact, math is this extremely, very beautiful landscape. And we're showing people just one road cut right through the center of it." Whitney says our math curriculum is designed for rocket scientists. Literally! Fifty years ago America was in a space race against the Soviet Union, and beefing up on our math program was seen as a winning solution.