Education:
​Doctor of Education - University of the Pacific - April 2023
Master of Arts - Curriculum & Instruction - University of Colorado - May 2014
Bachelor of Arts - Social Science - San Diego State University - May 2008

Licensures:
Reading and Literacy Leadership Specialist
Secondary English
Secondary Social Studies
​English Learner Authorization

Memberships:
American Educational Research Association ​
​International Literacy Association

​When I was sixteen years old, my life turned upside down. My mom moved my two brothers and me into a domestic abuse shelter. I had to leave everything I knew behind, suddenly having to change high schools and make new friends. After the shelter, we moved around a lot. I attended a total of three different high schools in three other cities. I remember feeling scared and alone. I found myself at a crossroads. I could pursue education as my mother worked tirelessly to model or end up as a statistic. It was then I realized my only way off that path was to excel in my studies. Education served as a beacon of hope for a boundless future; thus, I decided that I would succeed no matter what happened. Consequently, I am the first person in my family to graduate from college.

Thinking back, I always seemed to have had a knack for breaking down big concepts and explaining things to people so that they could understand. I remember the joy and personal satisfaction I felt tutoring elementary students and mentoring campers at a sleep-away camp. I have seen firsthand how influential a teacher can be. After all, it was a middle school teacher who believed in my writing and told me I had talent. I have come to realize that teaching to the whole child needs to be at the center of everything we do as educators.