Regional Spotlight: New Jersey

Get to know the Regional Director, Principals, and students who are part of the RSM New Jersey community in this blog! 

Meet the Regional Director of RSM New Jersey: Sona Antonyan

Sona Antonyan brings over 20 years of experience in educational leadership, strategic planning, and business operations to her role at RSM. She earned an M.S. in Mathematics and Pedagogy from Yerevan State Pedagogical University and an M.S. in Educational Research, Measurements, and Evaluation from Boston College.

As Regional Director, Sona supports students and parents by leading events and collaborating with Parent-Teacher Organizations in order to build meaningful connections with the New Jersey community. 

Sona’s approach is rooted in collaboration between RSM families and staff, ensuring parents feel supported and connected to their child’s educational journey. By combining her educational background, strategic leadership, and dedication to local outreach, she helps to create a lasting positive impact for students, parents, and the broader community.

Meet the RSM Princeton Principal: Tatyana Merkureyev

Tatyana Merkureyev joined RSM in 2012 and taught at RSM Acton and RSM Nashua. Prior to joining RSM, she worked as a high school math teacher.

“What I appreciate most about RSM is that our small class sizes and expert teachers allow us to work more closely with our students, helping them boost their confidence and independent thinking,” Tatyana said. “RSM not only helps students with their academic performance, but also nurtures their cognitive abilities, benefiting students in any career.”

Meet the RSM Edison Principal: Priyanka Patel

Priyanka Patel joined RSM in 2016, first working as a teacher at RSM Lexington, MA. Priyanka not only experiences RSM as a teacher and principal, but also from the point of view of a parent.

“As a parent of an RSM student, I have seen the value RSM has added to my son’s knowledge,” Priyanka said. “I believe it is so important for my son to build his math skills from an early age, as he will use these reasoning skills in all school subjects, and throughout his life.”

As a teacher, she finds it incredibly rewarding to see students growing and learning week after week as they continue to develop their logic and reasoning skills.

Meet the RSM Livingston Principal: Aaron Chernin

In addition to working as the principal of RSM Lexington, Aaron Chernin previously worked as a teacher at RSM Acton, the principal at RSM Nashua, and even attended RSM as a student from 4th grade through high school! He is thrilled to be opening a new RSM branch in New Jersey.

“As a teacher and a principal, one of my goals is to help my students get excited about RSM,” Aaron said. “Since they may not understand our mission about building a mathematical mindset, it’s important to meet them where they are. Younger kids get excited about being ahead of their peers and about doing more advanced math. Older kids, on the other hand, get a sense of accomplishment from the tangible results they get from SATs, math competitions, and AP tests.”

Outstanding RSM Students in New Jersey

Darya “Dasha” Kediarova, Tutor at RSM Princeton

Originally from Belarus, Dasha is a 12th grade student who was an RSM student for four years and has been an RSM tutor for two years. As a tutor, Dasha helps other RSM students with their homework and enjoys encouraging her fellow students’ curiosity in math by helping them through the various roadblocks they encounter in math problems. 

“RSM helped me build a strong math foundation that I use, now more than ever, in my multivariable calculus honors class,” Dasha said.

Dasha’s hard work at RSM led her to achieve a perfect score on the math section of the SAT and earn a 5 on the AP Calculus BC exam. Outside of RSM, Dasha is the electrical captain at her team robotics lab and helps to build robots, coordinate team planning, create wiring diagrams, and manage robot batteries.

Recent Events in RSM New Jersey

Family Fun Night, Plainsboro, NJ March 2025

The RSM Princeton team had an incredible evening at this event hosted by the Plainsboro Recreation & Community Services. This event was a fantastic opportunity to connect with families, meet new friends and local businesses, and celebrate our shared passion for math and STEM.

Spring Math Trees, Edison, NJ, April 2025

RSM Edison’s classrooms are blooming with bright colors and a love of math! To create a math-centric and spring-y mood in their classrooms, RSM Edison decorated their classrooms with “My Favorite Math Concept Trees.” These trees are decorated with flowers inscribed with each student’s favorite math concept.