My mother married in her teens and I was born shortly thereafter. My father must have been a magician because he disappeared when I was a young child and I have actively refused to meet him. Nobody will ever understand what I feel towards my father and while I wish I had him in my life, I am also very afraid about being heavily disappointed for a second time. I was raised by my single mother and during my upbringing as a child I experienced a plethora of situations that have allowed me to become who I am today. My mother sacrificed a lot and worked extremely hard to provide us with a life of peace and safety and it is because of her that I was able to stay positive and move forward. She preached the importance of education and held me to a higher standard of achievement than even many of my teachers. Her hard work ethic that I witnessed was inspiring and motivating. Despite the circumstances that stood against me, I was able to find solace in the two things I felt I had control over in my life: track/cross country and my academics. Running was my transcendent escape from reality and academics were the foundation of my strong back bone and true sense of myself and my abilities. I excelled in both and the hard work set me free.
Not many people can say that they attended an Ivy League University, let alone as a Bill Gates Millenium Scholar. New York City was an exciting place to be in as an 18 year old, and from the moment our new student orientation week started I was introduced to a whole new world that I had not been a part of, but that I would now be an active player in. Columbia hosted yacht parties for our class, a masquerade ball at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and rented out Ellis Island for an all night rager. Fancy dinners, networking events and city explorations quickly became the norm. I was able to find my home away from home through my involvement with the Columbia Chicano Caucus, the Student Organization of Latinos, Sabor Latin Dance Troupe and my fraternity, Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc. For the first time in my life I was surrounded by other successful individuals who looked like me, shared a language and home experiences similar to my own. As a high school student, I did not have any Latino friends, but instead all of my friends were Asian, white or Filipino (I love all of them and we are still extremely close to this day).
Columbia University was a wonderful place that challenged me in ways that I was not always prepared for, but the atmosphere was filled with a strong sense of resilience, combined with intellectual vitality and ambition. The often cutthroat environment is not meant for the weak and dependent. Luckily, my mother had raised me to have a strong back bone and to always stand up for myself and what I believe in that I was able to solidify and assert my identity, expand my open-mindedness and fearlessly explore the city and the opportunities presented to me on and off campus. Columbia provided me with the best and most challenging years of my life from anxiety attacks and constant all nighters in the library or in the lobby of the School of International and Public Affairs, to performing with my dance team and partying with my best friends on campus, in the city or during spring breaks in Puerto Rico. I also gained valuable experience during my summers as a Congressional Intern in D.C. for Congressman Pete Stark in the House of Representatives and Senator Dianne Feinstein. I left feeling untouchable and confident to take on whatever opportunity presented itself to me. I was prepared to go into the real world, be a leader and make Columbia proud.
When I graduated in 2011with my double major in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and Comparative Politics, I was not sure where I was going, but I was not plagued with the anxiety that often surrounds new graduates. I knew that I was going to continue to move up and use what I learned to be an advocate for change. Upon graduating I worked at Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland as a Legal Services Advocate. It's not out of the ordinary for an Ivy League graduate to pursue law school, so I figured I would give the field a try. I absolutely enjoyed the direct services I provided for the Latino community of the Bay Area and it was great to see the results of all of the hard work we did at Centro to advocate for our people. However, I was not convinced that the legal field was the avenue through which I wanted to influence change.
After a couple of months at Centro, I accepted an offer to do a year of service with AmeriCorps as an Academic Case Manager at Kennedy High School in Richmond, California. This was a very challenging experience and one that would change the direction of my ambition. I worked with a case load of about 25 students who were struggling academically (below a 2.0 GPA) and behaviorally in the classroom. My job was to help them improve their grades and connect them with the resources available for their emotional and psychological needs. Working one on one with students I was able to reconnect with myself as a child because we shared many similar experiences and came from similar backgrounds, but at the same time their individual experiences were their own and they needed educators and adults in their lives who understood that. I knew that education was the avenue I wanted to use to be an advocate for youth. Amidst all that I was working for, I managed to squeeze in my first marathon and ran 4:14 for the Oakland Marathon in the spring of 2012.
"Enter to learn, leave to serve." That is the motto of the Kalmanovitz School of Education at Saint Mary's College of California where I enrolled to earn my single subject teaching credential in English. I had missed the academic, intellectual environment and immediately hit the ground running and soaked in as much experience and knowledge as I could from the class discussions, my wonderful professors, mentors, books and articles and my student teaching placements. I excelled in and out of the classroom despite the challenges of PACT (Performance Assessment for California Teachers), teaching in front of the classroom for the first time, and the emotional and physical toll that school and teaching takes on you. At my cohort's graduation in the spring of 2013 I had the honor of being the student speaker and I am proud to say that I was trained to be an educator at an institution that values service and views teaching as a vocation and not just a job or career.
Here I am, 2014, and I am about to finish my first year of teaching high school English. The positive relationships I have developed with my students and colleagues are ineffable and I cannot wait for year two. I wish I had kept a blog of my first year of teaching, but those of you who are close to me have heard the many awesome stories I have, both positive and negative. As the school year is speedily coming to an end, I am excited to see the results of my research on restorative justice circles in the classroom and their effects on student engagement/participation and grade improvement. I look forward to year two of teaching and beginning my Masters in International and Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco this fall.
I have a great support system in my family and friends. Thanks to all of you who have played a positive role in my life. Stay tuned and continue to read for updates.
Columbia University was a wonderful place that challenged me in ways that I was not always prepared for, but the atmosphere was filled with a strong sense of resilience, combined with intellectual vitality and ambition. The often cutthroat environment is not meant for the weak and dependent. Luckily, my mother had raised me to have a strong back bone and to always stand up for myself and what I believe in that I was able to solidify and assert my identity, expand my open-mindedness and fearlessly explore the city and the opportunities presented to me on and off campus. Columbia provided me with the best and most challenging years of my life from anxiety attacks and constant all nighters in the library or in the lobby of the School of International and Public Affairs, to performing with my dance team and partying with my best friends on campus, in the city or during spring breaks in Puerto Rico. I also gained valuable experience during my summers as a Congressional Intern in D.C. for Congressman Pete Stark in the House of Representatives and Senator Dianne Feinstein. I left feeling untouchable and confident to take on whatever opportunity presented itself to me. I was prepared to go into the real world, be a leader and make Columbia proud.
When I graduated in 2011with my double major in Latin American and Caribbean Studies and Comparative Politics, I was not sure where I was going, but I was not plagued with the anxiety that often surrounds new graduates. I knew that I was going to continue to move up and use what I learned to be an advocate for change. Upon graduating I worked at Centro Legal de la Raza in Oakland as a Legal Services Advocate. It's not out of the ordinary for an Ivy League graduate to pursue law school, so I figured I would give the field a try. I absolutely enjoyed the direct services I provided for the Latino community of the Bay Area and it was great to see the results of all of the hard work we did at Centro to advocate for our people. However, I was not convinced that the legal field was the avenue through which I wanted to influence change.
After a couple of months at Centro, I accepted an offer to do a year of service with AmeriCorps as an Academic Case Manager at Kennedy High School in Richmond, California. This was a very challenging experience and one that would change the direction of my ambition. I worked with a case load of about 25 students who were struggling academically (below a 2.0 GPA) and behaviorally in the classroom. My job was to help them improve their grades and connect them with the resources available for their emotional and psychological needs. Working one on one with students I was able to reconnect with myself as a child because we shared many similar experiences and came from similar backgrounds, but at the same time their individual experiences were their own and they needed educators and adults in their lives who understood that. I knew that education was the avenue I wanted to use to be an advocate for youth. Amidst all that I was working for, I managed to squeeze in my first marathon and ran 4:14 for the Oakland Marathon in the spring of 2012.
"Enter to learn, leave to serve." That is the motto of the Kalmanovitz School of Education at Saint Mary's College of California where I enrolled to earn my single subject teaching credential in English. I had missed the academic, intellectual environment and immediately hit the ground running and soaked in as much experience and knowledge as I could from the class discussions, my wonderful professors, mentors, books and articles and my student teaching placements. I excelled in and out of the classroom despite the challenges of PACT (Performance Assessment for California Teachers), teaching in front of the classroom for the first time, and the emotional and physical toll that school and teaching takes on you. At my cohort's graduation in the spring of 2013 I had the honor of being the student speaker and I am proud to say that I was trained to be an educator at an institution that values service and views teaching as a vocation and not just a job or career.
Here I am, 2014, and I am about to finish my first year of teaching high school English. The positive relationships I have developed with my students and colleagues are ineffable and I cannot wait for year two. I wish I had kept a blog of my first year of teaching, but those of you who are close to me have heard the many awesome stories I have, both positive and negative. As the school year is speedily coming to an end, I am excited to see the results of my research on restorative justice circles in the classroom and their effects on student engagement/participation and grade improvement. I look forward to year two of teaching and beginning my Masters in International and Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco this fall.
I have a great support system in my family and friends. Thanks to all of you who have played a positive role in my life. Stay tuned and continue to read for updates.
