I was born and raised in San Diego, CA. I graduated with a BA in Liberal Arts with a specialization in linguistics from SDSU and a Master of Education: TESOL from USD.  After I graduated, I taught at the International Rescue Committee, Catholic Charities, and with CBET program. At one point, I taught nine classes from morning till late at night nearly every day to make ends meet.  I worked with refugees from Sudan, Russia, Iraq and many other countries.  I also worked at USD and Cuyamaca College as an ESL teacher.  After a year I started teaching at SDSU and eventually started a Pre-MBA/Pre-Master's program for primarily international students. I was the director of this program for around 10 years, before I came to Humboldt in the spring of 2019. 

Favorite Quote: “Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”- Epictetus

Hobbies: Biking, freediving, running, and camping