Candidate for
Board Member; Santa Barbara Unified School District

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." + Helen Keller

As the quote above alludes to, I believe that working together we can ensure the success of our community by assuring the success of every student. I strongly believe that my story is the story of the positive things that can happen with every student in our district when we strive to provide a quality education. My own success story began with attending elementary school at El Camino Elementary then junior high at Goleta Valley, high school at Dos Pueblos, and finally UCSB where I received my BA in Latin American Studies and Political Science, as well as my MA and PhD in Education. I share a common experience of many of our district's students having been an English Language Learner. I was born in Santa Barbara and raised in Goleta and have worked in various capacities in the education world over the past 18 years. My roles have included: coordinator of Healthy Start Programs for the Carpinteria Unified School District, Home/School Liaison for the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Evaluator for the Center for Chicano Studies at UC Santa Barbara and Executive Director for First 5 Merced County. Today, I work for First 5 Santa Barbara, as the Program & Evaluation Manager. In this role, I work to assure that all children 0-5 years of age are ready to start kindergarten so that they may have the opportunity to succeed in life.