How Education Has Influenced Me

I am a proud graduate from LMU (Go Lions!), CSUDH (Go Toros!), and UCLA (Go Bruins!).

My commitment to addressing social and environmental inequities through science education stems from my personal K-12 experiences. I attended a Title 1 low SES school in L.A. where only eight percent of my senior class graduated from a four year university. This might seem startling, but this story is all too common for many. Hoping to transform education for underserved and underrepresented students, I went back to my school district to teach science.

For me, going to college was the only option to break the cycle of poverty for me and my family. As a teacher, I found this to be true for many of my students as well. Providing students with a rigorous and high-quality education that emphasized social and environmental justice inspired and prepared my students to be social agents of change in their own communities.

Once I found more success in teaching, I was called to take on more leadership roles in and outside of my district. Transforming schools can start with one individual, but requires a shared leadership approach guided by the same vision. My educational journey has taught me that collaboration is key in order to bring about much needed change in schools. That's where you come in to the picture. 

There is a saying that goes,
"It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness because hopefully someone else with a candle will find you, and that's how movements begin."

Thank you for being curious about how to revamp your curriculum or possibly your teaching practices. Thank you for being part of this movement to disrupt science teaching and taking on climate change for your students.