by Shreya Roychoudhury
My relationship with mathematics has always been one of absolute trust. In a world that is often chaotic and subjective, an equation always balances. It is a sanctuary of logic. But finding that balance in the real world, as a woman in STEM, has been a much harder problem to solve.
I am Shreya, and my journey involves navigating a landscape that wasn’t built for people like me. My M.Tech from the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Hamirpur was a defining chapter, but a solitary one. I earned my degree during the pandemic, completing rigorous coursework from behind a screen. While the world was in lockdown, I felt a specific kind of isolation that many women in tech know too well—the feeling of being a voice in a void. Even without the physical classroom, the subtle exclusion was palpable. It was in the assumptions that I might need “extra help” with complex algorithms, or the surprise that I, a woman, was pursuing such a technical specialization.
That digital distance gave me time to reflect. I realized that the “leak” in the STEM pipeline doesn’t start in postgraduate degrees; it starts much earlier. It starts when a young girl is told, explicitly or implicitly, that “Maths is too hard” or “Engineering is a boy’s game.” It starts with fear.
That realization was the seed for Mathemagica.
I founded Mathemagica not just to teach mathematics, but to rebrand it. My mission is to eradicate the paralyzing fear that stops young minds before they even start. I wanted to create a space where questions are celebrated, where “wrong” answers are just stepping stones, and where logic is taught as a language of creativity, not just a set of rigid rules.
When the road gets difficult—and it often does—I look to the past for strength. I think of Emmy Noether.
Albert Einstein called her the most important woman in the history of mathematics, yet her story is one of profound struggle against gender discrimination. In the early 20th century, despite her brilliance, she was denied a paid faculty position at the University of Göttingen simply because she was a woman. She had to lecture under a male colleague’s name, David Hilbert, just to be heard. She worked without pay, often without recognition, yet she revolutionized the fields of abstract algebra and theoretical physics.
Noether’s Theorem, which connects symmetries in nature to conservation laws, is fundamental to how we understand the universe today. If Emmy Noether could rewrite the laws of physics while a patriarchal society tried to erase her existence, then surely, I can help a young girl rewrite her internal narrative about being “bad at math.”
At Mathemagica, we channel that spirit. We don’t just solve sums; we build resilience. I use my background to create visual animations of mathematical concepts—showing students that calculus isn’t just text on a page; it’s the curve of a river or the acceleration of a car. I want them to see the math, not just memorize it.
I remember one particular student who came to me convinced she had a “math block.” She was terrified of geometry, seeing it as a jagged mess of lines she couldn’t untangle. We didn’t start with theorems. We started with art. We looked at the symmetry in leaves and the geometry of architecture. Slowly, the fear in her eyes was replaced by focus. The day she solved a complex proof on her own, she looked at me and said, “It’s actually kind of beautiful, isn’t it?”
That shift—from fear to beauty—is my victory.
Gender discrimination in STEM is still very much prevalent. It’s in the lack of funding for female founders, the scepticism in boardrooms, and the scarcity of female role models in textbooks. But I am fighting it the best way I know how: by arming the next generation with knowledge.
I am an engineer, a founder, and a woman who refuses to be subtracted from the equation. At Mathemagica, we are proving that while prejudice might be a variable we have to deal with, our potential is a constant. We are here to stay, and we are here to solve.
Acknowledgements
Building Mathemagica was never a solitary endeavor; its foundation is built on the endless encouragement of my mother and sisters, and the fierce support of my friends—Gogol, Arkadyuti, Shinjini, Riyanka, and Sanket—who stood by me, helping turn a quiet vision into a roaring reality.
About the author
Shreya Roychoudhury is the founder of Mathemagica (Instagram: @math.emagica). She was born in Kokata, India. She studied Electronics and Communication Engineering at Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College and received her Master’s in Technology in Communication Systems and Networks from the National Institute of Technology Hamirpur. Shreya currently lives in India.
Published on March 11, 2026.
Header Image: designed by Gourav Chakraborty
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