On forging my path (and overcoming FOMO)
For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with the reality that there are only 24 hours in a day. When it comes to life experiences, I tend to want it all. (I’ve come to call this feeling my “existential Fear-Of-Missing-Out.”) Wherever it comes from, this drive for personal growth, paired with my desire to be of service to others and the world, has kept me busy learning, at work and outside of it. My values around growth and justice have been my compass, guiding who I learn from, where I live, and how I spend my (often frustratingly limited) time.
When I couldn’t find a graduate program that matched my interests at the intersection of continuous improvement and social change, I decided to build my own grad school, guided by mentors who believe in me and rooted in my adopted hometown of Oakland. My self-designed curriculum of carefully selected projects has led me to apply my existing continuous improvement knowledge in new ways; share original scholarship through presentations and articles; organize with and learn from veteran social movement leaders; and gain experience in the social sector beyond my primary field of public education.
Looking towards the future, I see many possible paths, but the common theme is that I want to be working on addressing meaningful problems, in community with people that inspire me, helping to unleash the collective efforts we need to make social systems work for all of us. To do this, I combine a diverse set of methods and skills, drawing from improvement science, community organizing, and my background as a public school educator. The challenges we face today are overwhelming and better, more inclusive problem-solving is needed on every level if we are going to bridge division and build communities where everyone is seen, heard, and valued. Let’s work together to build the world we all want to live in.
About my work in Improvement Science
In addition to my consulting and organizing, I serve part time as a lead improvement advisor at CORE Districts on our 9th Grade On-Track network, the Breakthrough Success Community (BTSC), supporting over 40 high schools across California. I collaborate with our Chief of School Networks to design and manage the network, in addition to coaching six high schools in Oakland Unified to use improvement science and 9th grade on-track principles. Over five years, we’ve seen notable improvements in 9th grade success and reduced variation between schools in Oakland.
Before CORE, I spent four years at Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, apprenticing with leading thinkers in education research and quality improvement, including Tony Bryk, Louis Gomez, Alicia Grunow, Sandra Park, and Brandon Bennett. At Carnegie, I contributed to the dramatic growth of improvement science as an approach to systems change in education. I served in the hubs of two improvement networks, designed an EdX course on improvement taken by over 15,000 learners worldwide, and facilitated a community of practice for graduate school faculty developing improvement science degree programs.
More about me
I began my career teaching high school English as a Second Language in San Antonio, Texas, and have mentored many of my former students as they navigate college and the workforce. Passionate about college access for first-generation students, I have served as an scholarship application reader for QuestBridge and an application mentor with College Track.
Additionally, I am an organizer with Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), where I help other white people take action for our collective liberation. I also organize for electoral campaigns, finding a particular joy in door-to-door canvassing.
Outside of work and organizing, I enjoy hiking, salsa dancing, learning languages, and tending to my houseplant menagerie. I hold a B.A. in Latin American Studies, Spanish, and Education from Washington University in St. Louis, and am originally from Madison, Wisconsin. I live enthusiastically in Oakland with respect and reverence for its long history of arts and activism.
“Justice is what love looks like in public.”
— Cornel West