Autobiography

Personal Experiences

My parents were hardworking, blue collars people, who instilled in me the value of a hard days work and the importance of an education. As the first in my family to graduate from college, let alone graduate school, I always carry with me the hopes and dreams that many in my community have worked to provide me with. Unfortunately my success is not the norm for people from my community. Growing up in the Coachella Valley I was able to witness the wide discrepancies in educational opportunities students have depending on where they live. Affluent, predominately white neighborhoods had a great schools, while poor neighborhoods of color had poor schools. This reality crystalized for my my Junior year of high school when I spent the summer picking bell peppers in the triple digit desert heat. I was doing to same amount of work as everyone else there in the fields, but I was getting paid more because I had my papers. This is the moment that I realized that for some people the so-called “American Dream” will forever be out of reach. This experience put the seeds of Social Justice in my heart. I will always seek to make sure that people who our society marginalizes have a voice in my classroom and community.

Educational Background

I grew up in La Quinta, California and attended Desert Sands Unified District (DSUSD) schools throughout my K-12 education. I graduated from La Quinta High School (’99), then enrolled at College of the Desert, where I earned an Associate’s Degree (’03), before transferring to the University of California, Riverside. After earning my Bachelor’s Degree (’05), I went on to earn my Education Specialist Credential (’10) and Master’s of Science in Special Education from National University (’11). I would eventually enroll in UCLA’s Principal Leadership Institute and obtained a second Master’s in Education and a Tier I Administrative Credential (’16).

Professional Experience

During my professional career, I has had a variety of educational experiences. From 2008-2009 I worked as a long-term substitute teacher for DSUSD. From 2010-2011 I lived and worked as a private tutor in Milan, Italy. From 2010-2013, I returned to DSUSD, taking a teaching position at Desert Ridge Academy (DRA). At DRA I taught English Language Arts and developed DRA’s Read 180 and System 44 lab for students with disabilities. This lab became a model for the district, and hosted observations from Scholastic and surrounding school districts.

I recently teach Culver City Unified School District, at Culver City Middle School (CCMS). At CCMS I have taught Science (8th), Math (7th), Social Studies (6th-8th), and Learning Center. I have also served as Special Education Department Chair, School Site Council- Teacher Representative, Saturday School Intervention Facilitator, 6th Grade Summer Bridge Coordinator, English Language Learners Tutor, and a Where Everyone Belongs (WEB) Coordinator. More than anything, I values the opportunity I have had to foster positive relationships with parents via IEP meetings. 

Future Goals

My immediate goals consist of becoming an administrator and a Social Justice leader within urban Los Angeles. Other goals consist of earning an Ed.D, hopefully from UCLA, and continuing to advocate for the marginalized. Eventually I would like to teach the next generation of teachers to be champions for out underserved communities.

School Context

Type of School

Culver City Middle School (CCMS) is a public middle school located in Culver City, California. The mission of CCMS, a culturally diverse and environmentally active learning community, is to ensure that all students are provided a challenging educational program that will foster integrity, respect, and a passion for success in our ever-changing global environment by bringing the resources available in our unique city together to achieve this goal.

Demographics

CCMS’s current enrollment of 1530, includes 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. Student enrollment by group is as follows:

Unique Features and Awards
Culver City Middle School has been named a California Distinguish School (’11) and a School to Watch (Original designation ’03, Re-designated ’06, ’09,’12, and ’15). CCMS works with El Marino Elementary and Culver City High School to provide Spanish and Japanese language immersion programs. CCMS also has a variety of other programs such as; The Green 5 Program, Walk’n Rollers, Where Everyone Belongs (WEB), California College Guidance Intuitive (CCGI), Gifted and Talented Education (GATE), LGBT+ support, twice a week in-school academic intervention, Fun Friday were kids choose an enrichment class (i.e. soccer, gardening, coding), and Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID).