By the time I was four years old I was using mathematics in a practical way, counting out and selling three or four candies for a penny in my dad's store. A few years later I operated the cash register in our clothing store. My parents' trust in me and praise from our customers, as well as my own interest, encouraged me to see math as my field. Everyone expected me to major in mathematics, and I did.

I have worked in many fields, mostly related to mathematics. In college I majored in statistics, and then earned a master's degree in actuarial mathematics, the kind of mathematics that is used in the insurance field. However, since insurance companies were not hiring women at that time, I worked as an accountant and as a junior engineer until I had children. Afterwards I went into teaching—high school and teacher education—until my retirement. I continue to conduct courses and workshops for teachers.

I taught mathematics in a school district in New York State that was known nationwide for integrating its schools by busing. In the sixties students could take courses like African history and Swahili, and a college professor conducted an after-school course in African history for teachers in the district. To satisfy the course requirement for a report on some relevant subject, I decided to write about African mathematics, but was unable to find books on the subject in any library.