My story.
I’ve worn many hats in my life: student, advocate, researcher, consultant, elected official, and middle school teacher.
What ties it all together is simple: I care.
I’ve lived the gap between what people need and what systems provide. Growing up in the Bay Area, I had to navigate institutions that were actively disinvesting in working-class families like mine. These experiences shaped me and my commitment to public service. I believe everyone deserves a public sector that actually helps.
This website is a home for my journey: a place to reflect on the work I’ve done and share the work I am still building.
Roots & Early Education
I was born and raised in Antioch, CA, and spent my entire K–12 education in the Antioch Unified School District. Growing up during the No Child Left Behind era meant attending chronically underfunded schools. During my freshman year of high school, my family lost our home in the Great Recession and experienced homelessness. I eventually transferred to Prospects High School, determined to finish my education.
By 16, I had earned my diploma and enrolled at De Anza Community College, where I completed two associate degrees—one in Paralegal Studies and one in Liberal Arts (Social Science Emphasis)—and made the Dean’s List. I later transferred to UC Berkeley, graduating with honors in American Studies with a focus on politics, policy, justice, and Bay Area culture. My honors thesis, The Game Is Thick vol. 3, used the Hyphy Movement as a lens to examine the Bay Area’s political, social, and economic history, raising deeper questions about who gets to tell a place’s story—and why.
Education & Training
My formal education sits at the intersection of policy, equity, and teaching:
M.P.P., Goldman School of Public Policy – UC Berkeley
Focused on California’s housing and homelessness crisis, climate resilience, and urban equity. I worked on projects like Homelessness in Antioch and A Path to Equity, developing concrete recommendations for local governments.
B.A., American Studies – UC Berkeley
Emphasis on politics, policy, and justice. Deeply involved in student organizing, fossil fuel divestment, and literacy work with unhoused youth in the East Bay.
A.A., De Anza College
Paralegal Studies and Liberal Arts (Social Science Emphasis), with early experience supporting environmental education and student mentoring.
California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential – CalStateTEACH
Credential focused on teaching reading and building a curriculum that supports diverse learners.
This mix of academic work and lived experience shapes how I approach every role — grounded in data, story, and community.
Policy, Research & Systems Work
Before stepping fully into elected office and the classroom, I worked in roles that asked big questions about systems and equity.
At the California Department of Social Services, I worked on housing and homelessness prevention, helping counties understand state programs, analyzing outcomes, and supporting decisions about how funds were allocated.
At Contra Costa County Health Services, I interned in the Office of the Director, contributing to initiatives like “Envision Health” and the “Green and Healthy Homes Initiative,” and helping integrate health equity into the County’s 2040 General Plan.
At UC Berkeley, I served as a Graduate Student Instructor, leading discussions and supporting hundreds of students in courses like Robert Reich’s Wealth and Poverty and Introduction to Media Studies. Earlier, as an Undergraduate Research Apprentice, I helped analyze power and governance in the UC system.
Across all of this, my focus was the same: make complex systems more transparent, fairer, and more accountable to the people they affect.
Elected Leader
AUSD Board of Education (2018–2022)
My relationship with the Antioch Unified School District came full circle when, at 23, I was elected to the AUSD Board of Education, becoming the youngest elected official in Antioch’s history. The district has 17,000 students across 24 schools. My work focused on equity, transparency, and elevating student voice. Some highlights:
Advocated for meaningful student participation in board decision-making
Helped raise the Pride flag for the first time in district history
Pushed for inclusive, student-centered policies
Participated in fiscal planning and superintendent oversight
Supported families navigating school closures, health risks, and uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic
My time on the Board reinforced my belief that public education is one of our strongest tools for community transformation. It also sharpened my commitment to making local institutions more accessible, responsive, and accountable, especially to the young people they serve.
City Clerk of Antioch (2020–2024)
In 2020, I was elected City Clerk of Antioch — again becoming the youngest person ever to hold the role. I stepped into office during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when transparency and access to local government mattered more than ever. Over my four-year term, I focused on strengthening trust in local democracy and ensuring residents had clear, meaningful ways to participate. Some highlights:
Oversaw City Council meetings and maintained official records
Served as an Elections Official for the 2022 and 2024 municipal elections
Modernized outdated public records systems
Expanded digital access and launched multilingual civic engagement materials
Reformed the board and commission appointment process, resulting in the most diverse group of volunteer commissioners in city history
Serving as City Clerk required resilience, clarity, and a deep commitment to our community’s right to information, especially during times of conflict or political tension. Though I ultimately chose not to seek reelection, this chapter remains one of the most meaningful parts of my public service journey.
Teaching
After years in policy and public office, the pandemic made one thing clear: I wanted my work to feel more immediate and grounded. I returned to the classroom as a K-12 substitute teacher in 2021. Thereafter, completed my multiple-subject credential.
Today, my classroom is where my policy experience and lived experience meet. I teach with equity at the center, creating lessons for multilingual learners, students with IEPs, and students from low-income backgrounds, and build a classroom where students feel safe, challenged, and seen.
What this site is…
It isn’t a campaign, and it isn’t just a résumé.
It is home to many aspects of my work and my life: teaching, research, public service, and community.
A quiet archive of what I’ve learned, created, and what continues to shape me.