More about me
I have included detailed information below about my educational career here because, over the years, a lot of teachers have found their way to this site and asked for more information. I am hoping to give other teachers ideas about how to grow professionally while staying in the classroom teaching students.
My Story
EDUCATION
I have a BA in Pure Math from the University of California at Berkeley. I am a third-generation STEM graduate from CAL. My grandfather, great uncle, great aunt, uncle all attended Cal and graduated with degrees in Biochemistry, Chemistry and Genetics. While at Cal, I led a statistics workshop for the football team through the Athletic Department's Study Center (Go Bears!). I was also an undergraduate assistant for the PDP Calculus 1A, Calculus 1B, Math 53 and Math 54 intensified sections. I did research as an undergrad with the Nearby Supernova Search at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. I also worked with the Hand on Universe Program.
I obtained my Math Single Subject teaching credential from California State University East Bay.
I also studied dance at the Ailey School in NY, NY in the Certificate Program.
BEFORE TEACHING
Before teaching, I worked in finance at Barclays Global Investors in SF, CA (which has been acquired by Black Rock). While working in finance, I volunteered at San Quintin State Prison teaching GED math. I was in New York on 9/11/2001 which influenced my decision to become a teacher.
OAKLAND
I loved teaching in Oakland for 13 years. I taught for 10 years at Oakland High School. While there, I work closely with the OHS Environmental Science Academy. Prior to teaching high school, I taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math for three years in Oakland.
While at Oakland High I was Math Department Chair and the Technovation and the Technology Club sponsor for 3 years. Our Technovation team of teenaged young women placed in the top 20 out of 150 teams worldwide. While at Oakland High I taught Richard who was featured in the book The 57 Bus.
STEM
I was on the CMC North Conference planning committee for 2020-2021. I have run a lunch time High School Math Seminar at Denman for 7 years that was invited to become an official Math Circle by the Mathematical Association of America MAA) in Fall 2020. Also, in Fall 2020 I started a MESA Club at Denman in collaboration with MESA at UCSF and the Nelson Lab at UCSF. Since the Fall 2020 I will am teaching a 7th grade MESA AVID class at James Denman Middle School.
MENTORING AND COACHING
I have been a mentor for new teachers through the UC Berkeley Cal Teach Program since 2012. I was a mentor teacher for student teachers in the Cal Teach Credentialing Program. I also have been a mentor for the EnCorps STEM Program. I am also an Induction Coach in SFUSD and support New Teachers.
I was a Trellis Mentor Fellow from 2015 - 2021 which was program to help build a better future for new STEM teachers, particularly STEM teachers of color. Through Trellis, I have also done summer coaching in the Hollyhock Program at Stanford. From 2020 - 2021 I was the San Francisco Region Co Director of Trellis Education.
TEACHER'S UNION AND ADVOCACY
I was the webmaster for the Oakland Education Association from 2010 to 2014 and was an OEA union rep from 2009 to 2015. From 2014 - 2022 I was a member of the California State Instructional Leadership Corps (ILC) in partnership with the California Teachers Association and Stanford University. I was selected in 2017 to be the Northern California Representative NEA College and Career Readiness Working Group (CCRWG) focusing on Instructional Leadership. Since 2018 I have been a UESF building rep at James Middle School.
From 2019 - 2022 I was elected to a three-year term as the CTA Golden Gate Service Center Rep at Large. The Golden Gate Service Center is one of 26 CTA service centers and covers San Francisco, South San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties servicing ~11,500 members.
In 2022, I was elected to a three-year term as a CTA State Council Rep where I serve as the Vice-Chair of the Communications Committee from 2021-2025
I have served as three years as an NEA RA Rep 2021- 2023, a two years as an AFT Delegate 2022-2024. In addition I was elected the Vice-Chair of the CTA Democratic Caucus for 2021-2023, the Secretary of the CTA Democratic Caucus 2023-2025, the Secretary of the NEA Democratic Caucus 2022-2023. I am the AFT African American Caucus Coordinator for the Western Region of the United Staes from 2022 - 2024.
I have been on the SFUSD LCAP Task Force since 2018. In 2022 I was appointed by SFUSD School Board Commissioner Matt Alexander to serve on the SFUSD PEEF CAC from 2021-2023, and then appointed by Commissioner Alida Fisher to serve from 2023 - 2025.
CLIMATE ADVOCACY
In 2022 I Co -Founded the CTA Ecology Justice Caucus and serve as Co-Chair from 2022-2024, I Co Founded the NEA Climate and Ecology Caucus and serve as Co-Chair from 2022 - 2024.
I spoke on a panel at the 2023 Power Shift Conference in collaboration with ECAN and spoke on a panel at the 2023 IEEFA Conference.
AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY WORK
In 2019-2020 I was on the Board for the SF Alliance of Black School Educators. I am a charter Board Member for the UC Berkeley Black Engineering and Science Alumni Club (BESAC) a Cal Association Alumni Club. In 2021 as the BESAC Communications Officer I started the BESAC Digest.
In the Fall of 2019 I started Black Mondays for Black teacher's in San Francisco to do work or study for induction requirements. In Fall 2020 SF master teacher Laura Palacio Joined me to create Black Monday's and Latinx Lunes. A weekly work affinity space to support Black and Brown teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area with shared lesson planning and induction requirements. I am a staff co-sponsor for Denman's Black Student Union.
GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
From 2012 - 2017 I was a Math For America Master Teacher Fellow at UC Berkeley. Through an Ignited Summer Fellowship, I wrote math curriculum for CK-12.
2016
I was part a team of Trellis Mentors who received the Light Award.
2018
I was part of a team of SFUSD teachers who received an SVMI Lesson Study Grant.
2018
I was part of a team of Bay Area Teachers who received an NEA State & Local Project Grant.
2017 - 2018
I was been part of a team of SFUSD teachers who received the SF Ed Fund Bright Ideas Grant