I have found such joy working with children and families, especially in school settings since 2010. I am also currently studying for my PhD in social psychology at the University of California Santa Cruz. My research focuses on educational equity and creating empowering settings in K-12 school systems. Recent projects have examined:

• institutional barriers for working class/working poor Latinx parents' engagement in elementary schools

• empowering settings and Positive Discipline within a 4th and 5th grade afterschool program

• access and support for historically underrepresented students in higher education

• reconstructing narratives for Latinx immigrants through youth participatory action research
   

As a certified Positive Discipline Parent and Classroom Educator, I facilitate workshops for families and schools. I previously served as board president of Positive Discipline Community Resources, and have worked as a family literacy program coordinator at the Walnut Avenue Women's Center.

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YOUTH

In addition to parent education and research, my passion lies in working with youth. With all the nuances that the developmental stage of adolescence presents, I find teens to be insightful and innovative. I have had the privilege of counseling youth at Costanoa High and Ark Independent School, and facilitating youth groups that foster healthy relationships and build confidence in identifying choices. My direct work with youth allows insight into how they think and make decisions, and to better understand what matters to them and why. 

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CHILD DEVELOPMENT

I have studied child development through my masters program in Psychology and through practical experience as an early childhood teaching assistant, home visitor, and school counselor. My work incorporates Attachment Theory, Developmental Assets & Trauma-Informed Care.

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