I also grew up as a nerdy kid long before being nerdy was cool. All the nerdy kids I knew took a lot of pride in being smarter than the cool kids. Being good at

I also grew up as a nerdy kid long before being nerdy was cool. All the nerdy kids I knew took a lot of pride in being smarter than the cool kids. Being good at math was just an extension of that. I actually didn't know playing down how smart you were was a thing until much later when some of the popular kids who I had just assumed weren't that bright went on to become engineers, or doctors, or one who went on to get a PhD in biochemistry. I know a few of them still and they all talk about playing down that side of themselves in order to blend in. It makes me feel pretty silly about how smug I was about my intelligence back then.