I started working with Igor during high school as an AP Calculus BC student at Clayton High School. We continued working together via remote tutoring sessions after I started college on the east coast. Igor helped me with a wide range of advanced math topics including linear algebra, multivariable calculus, and real analysis. He helped make these areas much more accessible to me with his intuitive explanations of advanced theoretical concepts, ultimately inspiring my decision to complete a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.

Igor's tutelage changed me from a student easily stumped by American Math Competition (AMC) problems to one with a healthy arsenal of tools for tearing them apart. With each example we studied, he would provide multiple approaches and reveal key strategies for solving future problems. When teaching concepts, Igor considered which ones would be most useful in contest math, not just the ones that might have been most conventional. He was always brimming with ideas for furthering my education. For example, while I was in Calculus AB, he suggested that I study with him for the Calculus BC exam (with the rigor and quality of Igor's instruction, preparation for a definite 5 only required a few lessons). With his advice, I ended up taking multivariable calculus—a course I loved—my senior year instead of Calculus BC. Igor also emphasized to me the value of a liberal arts education. He recommended to me Pomona College, a college that I had never considered before, but am now very happy to say that I will be attending! I am lucky to have had Igor as a teacher and a mentor.