Full Biography for Sandra Nichols

Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Pajaro Valley Unified School District; Trustee Area 6

Sandra Nichols is a bilingual educator, currently seeking election to the Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Board of Trustees/Area 6. Sandra is a bilingual speech and language specialist, a dedicated and respected member of the public education community, a parent, and an advocate for children.

Sandra attended public schools in California, graduating from Grossmont High School in l965. She was an honors student, and went on to obtain her BA degree in English, Spanish and Speech Pathology, in l969, at the University of Redlands, Redlands, California. Sandra was awarded her MA degree in l979, in Speech and Language Pathology, from San Jose State University. She was an excellent student, and her graduate-level classes resulted in a perfect 4.0 GPA. She obtained her credential, the Clinical-Rehabilitative Services Credential, from the State of California, in l978. She also became a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), being awarded the Certificate of Clinical Competence in l979. She is still an active member of the association.

For the past 21 years, Sandra has worked tirelessly, and with great enthusiasm, as a speech and language specialist in the California public schools. Currently she is beginning her 14th year with Santa Cruz City Schools. She has been working at multiple school sites specializing in diagnosis and treatment of bilingual students with speech and language disorders. She has worked with students from preschool through high school, with a focus on elementary school students. Previously, Sandra worked for Santa Clara County Office of Education, becoming their bilingual language specialist, and briefly worked for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, with similar duties in a wide variety of assignments. Sandra has distinguished herself by presenting parent workshops and inservices, especially relating to bilingual issues. She also has written and been published repeatedly in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, addressing the issue of bilingual education, successfully participating in the movement to garner public support for this program.

Sandra was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, April 11, l947. She moved to California in l948, and has lived here ever since. Peter Nichols, her husband of more than 20 years, is a teacher and an artist. Sandra has 2 "children". Her son Kelly, 32, is a graduate of San Diego State University. Her daughter Jessica, l9, is student at Sonoma State University.

Sandra is bilingual, speaking English and Spanish. While a high school student, she and her family were a host family to a Costa Rican student. Sandra independently traveled to Costa Rica and lived with that student and her family, developing her Spanish skills and her love of multiculturalism. Sandra has maintained contact with her "Costa Rican family" and returned to visit them again in l989, bringing along her husband and daughter. They also have traveled extensively in Mexico, where Sandra has continued to study and take classes for educators.

In l970, Sandra moved to Santa Cruz County, originally living in Boulder Creek and subsequently moving to Santa Cruz. From l971 to l974, she worked as a bilingual eligibility worker and social worker for the Santa Cruz County Department of Social Services, at the Watsonville branch office and at the Santa Cruz main office. In l993, she and her husband purchased their home and moved to the Larkin Valley area of Watsonville.