By: T’Neil Gooden
On March 17, Brooklyn College’s (BC) Math Club celebrated Pi Day with over 75 students participating in a multitude of mathematical pie and baked pie activities. From pie-eating contests to drawing the perfect circle, BC students had the opportunity to be a winner on the annual celebration of the mathematical constant.
“You can have fun with Pi Day, no matter whether you’re a freshman, upperclassman, professor, admin, whatever,” said Nana Kiziriya, senior and Vice President of BC’s Math Club. “Also, I really appreciate the strong math community here at BC, and I love that we all come together to make this celebration happen. It’s 100% a community effort, and I think people are happier knowing they’re welcomed into or part of a tight-knit, larger community.”
Although Pi Day is held on March 14, the event was held the following Tuesday.
Students filled the Ingersoll 1310 boards with their “pi-ku poems,” which were poems all about pi that consist of a two-syllable/one-syllable/ four-syllable format. Attendees also had the chance to compete in games, including a pie-eating contest, won by sophomore Hailiang Situ, and a Pi number memorization contest, won by Omar Mejia Aguilar.
“It was especially nice seeing people genuinely have fun with something that my E-Board and I put so much time and energy into,” said Katherine Hepburn, junior and treasurer of the BC Math Club.
“I also loved that there was truly something for everyone to do, which made the event feel very inclusive and welcoming. Personally, my favorite moment was watching the pie-eating contest—it brought a lot of energy and excitement, and it was great seeing people have fun and cheer each other on.”
Members of the math club want students to realize that math is an interactive collegiate major and a practice that should be continuously celebrated.
“It’s so normalized for math to be seen as a dreadful field of study. Celebrating Pi Day at this scale allows students to strengthen rapport with their peers and, hopefully, ease the fear of mathematics with fun games,” said Chanell Cunningham, senior and president of the BC Math Club.
Students who participated in these mathematical and physical competitions were able to win math and BC-related merch, anime-inspired collectables, math-related books, and fun mugs.
Participants remembered the day fondly.
“Crazy wacky fun! And bringing the community together. I don’t think I’ve ever seen more humans buzzing and mingling at school than at Pi Day,” Kriziriya said.
“Students and faculty often reside in separate worlds, and I think it’s important we join forces for a common purpose sometimes, even if it’s just to be gluttonous nerds together.”
Students and faculty indulged in free pie for the occasion and interacted with each other, as one of the activities was a professor-based two truths and a lie. All these games were created through collaborative efforts, allowing the math club and math department to share ideas.
“In our meetings, we all brainstormed what the best way to go about bridging math and festive activities would be; this was the math club’s and the math department’s collaborative ideas at play,” said Cunningham. “For my ideas, I tried to pull examples from other fun events I’ve gone to, outside of the university.”
“Pi Day is a celebration of curiosity,” Hepburn told the Vanguard. “It highlights that math isn’t just about solving problems—it’s about exploring patterns, finding connections, and building a community around shared ideas. That’s something I really value, both in my studies and in the math club.”
Attention was also drawn to students’ experience as attendees.
“As hardworking students swamped with work and life, we need to be intentional, to carve out time, to have fun, and be ourselves outside of all that. It’s important to find happiness along the way to your goals and not just put it off indefinitely, because the way you live your days is the way you live your life,” Kiziriya said.
Members of the math club want students to feel free to join their team.
“[The Math Club is] really chill, welcoming space where you can just show up, meet people, and be part of a community,” Hepburn said. “You definitely don’t have to be a math major or be ‘good at math’—it’s more about hanging out with people who are curious and open to trying something new. We focus a lot on making math feel less stressful and more social, whether that’s through events, games, or just talking and working through things together. It’s a good way to meet people and be involved without any pressure.”
Kiziriya wants to leave other students with a reminder to take care of themselves.
“We should not forget that we all work so hard for a purpose: for ourselves, for each other, for life. Our work shouldn’t drain us of life; it should fuel it. We need to be mindful of the larger impact of the work we do, and it starts with taking care of ourselves and staying connected with our community.”
Students interested in upcoming events from the BC Mathematics Club can check their Instagram, @bcmathematicsclub.