Inspired by the transformative experience and unconditional acceptance their son Jacob M. King found in the Department of Mathematics at CSUN, Michael and Linda King created an endowment to honor the friends and professors who made Jacob’s time at CSUN so meaningful.
The $250,000 endowment supports aspects of mathematics research in the department.
It was important to the Kings to contribute to furthering research in the field their son loves, excels in and strongly believes in — while also giving back to the community that supported him. They also wanted to acknowledge Jacob’s close-knit student study group, who are still good friends to this day. They call themselves the “math buddies.”
“Honoring his friends was Jacob’s contribution,” Michael King said. “The naming of the endowment was his idea. He also wanted to honor professor Daniel Katz, who took him into his research group to write his thesis for his master’s degree.”
Michael King said that Jacob has some behavioral differences that made it difficult to form friendships in high school. When he prepared to transfer from Santa Monica College, finding an accepting and supportive university environment was a crucial factor in determining which university to attend.
“It felt like CSUN was the place that would actually work,” Jacob ’13 (Mathematics), M.S. ’17 (Mathematics) said he realized after touring the campus. “And it turned out to be true. My first semester at CSUN, I met some really excellent people. We all studied together and became friends quickly. Having them around was definitely important and helped me get through. They are the ones being acknowledged in all of this.”
Jacob’s friend Helida Haro Vanhoy, one of the “math buddies” for whom the endowment is named, recalled sitting next to him in math class at CSUN and being impressed when he scored 100% on a test she struggled to pass. She invited Jacob to join a study group she had formed.
“We studied a lot, day and night,” said Vanhoy, who works as a STEM program manager for the U.S. Air Force. “The four of us spent a lot of time together and formed a close bond. We all helped each other out. Jacob is extremely smart, so he finished his homework really fast. But he was so kind, he would wait and explain things to me, step by step. He helped me get my degree.”
In addition to helping each other and their fellow math buddies Crystal Shaw and Kyle Hwang, Vanhoy and Jacob tutored younger students in mathematics, which they found incredibly rewarding, they said.
Vanhoy said the King family’s generosity and kindness extend far beyond the classroom and have played a meaningful role in her life. While studying at CSUN, she was selected for an internship at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., where Jacob grew up and the Kings still live. Knowing she would need a place to stay, Vanhoy asked Jacob whether his parents might recommend a neighborhood or offer advice about navigating the capital city. Instead, the Kings offered her something more: a room in their home.
For the Kings, that spirit of generosity is closely tied to the values behind the new endowment. The gift not only gives back to the Department of Mathematics, which gave so much to their son, but reflects their belief in the power of research and education. Michael is an emeritus faculty member in Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences at George Washington University. Linda also earned her Ph.D. in information and decision systems from George Washington University’s School of Business.
“Ours is a household of learning and education,” Michael said.
The Kings also have made contributions to fund research and endowed professorships at their alma mater, but this endowment that honors their son, his friends and the professors who supported him through his academic journey at CSUN is especially meaningful.
“Jacob believes that math research can set the direction for future knowledge in many fields, and we wanted to honor that,” Michael said.
“A lot of why I like mathematics is the really interesting puzzles you get from these unsolved questions,” Jacob added. “But you have to have the funds to be able to dedicate the time to solving these puzzles.”
How Philanthropy Helps CSUN
The thoughtful, generous gifts of CSUN’s philanthropic supporters create life-changing opportunities for our students. These gifts provide scholarships, mentorship, academic spaces, hands-on learning experiences, and many other opportunities that help CSUN students succeed now and in their lives after college.
If you would like to support the Department of Mathematics, or create a fund of your own, please contact us at development@csun.edu.
