You’ll find out that the constant in the equation of 29-year-old Austin Dunford’s life is his love of math and science.
And this fact has been at the core of how he has chosen to incorporate those interests into an enjoyable career of serving others.
Austin teaches 9th-12th graders geometry, Algebra I and II, and personal finance.
After graduating from Hart High School in 2014, he studied aerospace at Western Michigan University because it was math and science-heavy.
After a while, he switched his focus to Engineering and Design Technology degree because there more job opportunities. But because much of the course work in this field involved Computer Assisted Design, something he didn’t care for, Austin pivoted again.
So, he went on to earn his teaching credentials, which later allowed him to get started as a long-term substitute, teaching assignments at Reeth-Puffer and Hart.
Teaching his own classes and being with students were where he wanted to be.
Austin lives in Mears, so when heard last summer that our district needed a math teacher, he was eager to apply.
“High school is where math gets fun,” he said. “Math is a never-ending series of puzzles that challenge you to find their solutions. It’s great to make these connections together.”
Austin said he is learning a lot all at once, as this is his first full-time job in a school setting. “The students and staff couldn’t have been more welcoming,” he said.
As he becomes more familiar here, Austin hopes to bring more MathCounts activities to interested Wildcats, and perhaps, also add a physics class or club.
As a youngster, Austin lived in Panama, Japan, and other faraway places because his father, Albert, was active duty in the U.S. Air Force.
By third grade, he and his brother Karson settled with their mother in Hart, where she had family.
Austin likes reading comic books and true stories about how people solve problems. He also enjoys fishing, playing the video game Path to Exile 2, and growing his own peppers and onions to add to the spicy foods he loves.