As a community college professor with over a decade of experience in Sociology and Chicanx Studies, I bring an interdisciplinary, justice-centered lens shaped by my identity as a queer Fronteriza Chicana, first-generation college graduate, and Puente Project alumna. Born and raised near the Tijuana–San Diego border, my journey from first-generation community college student to educator, scholar-activist, and now MSW candidate is grounded in a deep commitment to liberatory education, equity, and community-rooted healing.
My academic and institutional work has centered on creating culturally sustaining, equity-driven learning and professional environments. I have co-led transformative initiatives—including founding the first independent Ethnic Studies department at a California community college and chairing campus-wide equity efforts—always guided by the belief that education must reflect and uplift the communities it serves. These efforts are not only institutional wins but acts of resistance against systemic erasure and gatekeeping in academic spaces.
Now, as an MSW candidate and aspiring LCSW, I am expanding my praxis through community-based and clinical social work. I aim to serve historically marginalized and transborder communities through bilingual, culturally responsive therapy and wellness programs that honor both clinical practice and ancestral knowledge. My approach integrates sociology, Chicanx Studies, and traditional healing frameworks to address the psychosocial and intergenerational impacts of oppression.
Through this work, I seek to support and mentor first-generation and underrepresented students, faculty, and community members—particularly across the San Diego–Tijuana region—while advancing holistic models of care that challenge institutional norms and affirm collective resilience. I hold a systemic perspective that recognizes how larger social, cultural, and institutional forces shape individual and community experiences. My vision bridges education, advocacy, and healing to create spaces where mind, body, and spirit are valued—and where liberation is both a goal and a practice.
