SFS People

I have been teaching Humanities for more than 20 years at the middle, high school, and college level. My passion is integrating history and literature in ways that stimulate cultural understanding, and promote human rights,and social justice.

A native of Los Angeles, I earned a B.A. from Occidental College in Comparative Social Change. After working as an activist for an immigrant rights organization, I decided to pursue graduate work in immigration history and earned an M.A. in Ethnic Studies from San Francisco State University.

Since my education has focused on social change and global communities, I approach history with this focus in mind. I enjoy helping students connect the past to current events. So much is happening in our world which our students are striving to understand. I encourage them to read, teach them the skills which are central to historical thinking and investigation, and hold them to the highest standards.

I have learned that there are key moments that affect a student’s academic confidence especially as it pertains to writing. Therefore, my primary goals are to help students discover a love of reading, improve their confidence, and find their voice through writing.

My husband Ruben teaches high school in the Mission and together we have raised three amazing children. Our two oldest are in college and the youngest is a senior in high school. How time flies! When I am not grading student work, I enjoy reading, cooking, and writing poetry. I love my roles as parent and educator, and I am honored to be a part of the SFS community.