The Department of Ethnic Studies UC Berkeley

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Research

I examine the agency and resiliency of historically marginalized students and their communities to navigate and confront systemic inequities stemming from a complex interplay of political, economic, and social factors. Leveraging my background as an educator, practitioner, and policy advocate, I underscore the pivotal role of policy in structuring educational access, opportunities, and outcomes for Black and Brown students, particularly in relation to income, race, and geography.

Using Community-Based Participatory Research methods, I view knowledge production as a collaborative endeavor, aligning our research with the intent of empowering students and their communities to create access and reimagine schooling. 

Current Research Projects:

Examining social movement building for educational equity in the East Bay (1960s to 1990s)

Assessing statewide efforts to support Ethnic Studies high school teachers in the Bay Area with the implementation of the California Ethnic Studies high school graduation requirement (CA SB 101).

Courses Taught

My courses engage student learning by 1) centering their realities within the curriculum; 2) acknowledgying the diversity and complexties within our community; and 3) relating our experiences in the US with other communities of color.

ChS 190 Community Engaged Research in Reimagining Education Through Speculative Fiction

ChS 180 Resistence and Resiliency in Education

ChS 172 Latines, Education & Nation-State Building

ETHSTD 135 The Myths & Realities of US Immigration

ChS 150 OurStory of the Southwest

ChS 50 Introduction to Chicane/Latine OurStory

In Community

Community of Practice Lead Facilitator, Empowering Ethnic Studies teachers in the San Francisco Bay Area develop curriculm and pedagogical best practices to increase student engagement and learning. Part of the California Regional Ethnic Studies Collaborative project to meet the 2025-26 school-year rollout of the California Ethnic Studies high school graduation requirement (CA SB 101). Funded by the California Department of Education.

Strategic Partner for Equity, Assisting Berkeley City College in its initiatives to support Latinx students by evaluating the implementation of a Title V grant, funding designated for Hispanic Serving Institutions.

Core Committee Member, Coordating a year-long series of events exploring Black and Brown solidarity in Oakland, spearheaded by the African American Latino Action Alliance

Board Member, Supporting Oakland Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, a freedom school founded in 1973, fulfill its mission to serve Black and Brown students and thier communities.