About Us

My name is Feenix Pan, and I'm the founder of Door-2-Math. Of course I have help with website design, marketing, computer repair, and bookeeping, but when it comes to students, I do the work exclusively.

As a child, I struggled with math. If this isn't emough, I come from a family of professors and scientists. Talk about pressure!

I did eventually get some help and overcame my math handicap to earn advanced degrees in science and engineering. But the math struggle that I endured as a child shaped my thinking and outlook through my academic career. When I had opportunities to teach in college, I would not just put in the hours, but made sure that my students got it. I must have done something right, because I received teaching awards at two different universities!

When it came time to graduate from the U of Arizona with a PhD in Optical Sciences (#1 program in the nation) I had a choice of accepting one of several job offers, or choose a path where my passions lie. Contrary to the advise of professors and relatives, I chose to dedicate my career to helping students who struggle in math to realize that its not the math but the fear of math that is stopping them. And this is what I'm still doing today, making a difference one student at a time!

Since founding Door-2-Math in 2002, I have worked with over 100 students and their parents 1-on-1 to restore math confidence. (The number could easily be much higher, but I only take on a handful of students at a time to make sure that each student receives the individualized attention that he or she needs.) Also as a mother of two school-age children, I see the parent's perspective of a child's math education. From these experiences,, I have seen many adverse situations where students have triumphed and realized that math is conquerable. I have seen the joy on students faces and their parents' pride at the first A ever on a test. I have worked with parents, students, and teachers from just about every type of school in Tucson (and Phoenix) and hope to use this experience to help many more students and their parents in the future.