John
Wagner
John grew up in upstate New York where he attended Nyack High School, graduating with honors in math and science, then attended the University of Rochester on scholarships majoring in physics. After moving to California John married and began raising his family; then enrolled in a distance-learning course in electronics and found employment in this field. Over the next 40 years John worked as a technician and later as an engineer, mainly in the field of automatic control systems.
John never lost his desire for education, and in 1984 he started back to school, first at the College of San Mateo and later transferring to San Jose State. After 12 years of taking courses part time, he graduated in 1996 from San Jose State with a degree in mathematics. Three years later, John enrolled at Santa Clara University, where he studied applied and theoretical mathematics, graduating in 2006 with a Masters in Applied Mathematics. His teaching experience began at Cabrillo College, then included coaching for two local private companies, as well as working at Notre Dame de Namur University in the Academic Success Center, helping students with their coursework in all levels of mathematics and physics. John really enjoys helping students understand sometimes difficult and subtle concepts, guiding them through the thinking process which will bring them success.
Most recently, John has been living in Santa Cruz and is happy to be returning to Main Street Scholars. He enjoys hiking, reading, and being a grandfather.
