She was recently named one of Forbes Magazine's top 30 under 30 in education for her work with the non-profit 826 National. She has directed and edited several large book publications with students in high schools and middle schools in San Francisco through 826 Valencia, coordinating teachers,volunteers, students, and artists to show young people that their stories are important and deserve to be shared with a wide audience.
As Programs Director at 826LA, she created the Great Los Angeles Personal Statement Weekend, now in its 3rd year, an event that brings together more than 200 students and 200 volunteers giving seniors one on one attention while they start, edit, or finish their personal statements.
She comes from teachers. The ones that go to work everyday to help young people thrive, and the ones that share wisdom in how they make food, recount stories of mistakes, and sit the family down to a roundtable when things aren't right.
A strong believer in the power of writing as healing, she remembers what her grandparents never had, a chance to feel validated through their struggles. Whether publishing a collection of student writing or sitting next to a student helping to craft their life story into a winning personal statement, her work is dedicated to building confidence and empowerment.
Her poems have been published in Mujeres de Maiz, Statement Magazine, Know the Names of Things, Intergenerational Writers Lab.
As a danzante with Grupo Xiuhcoatl she finds one more way to heal.