Candidate for
Governing Board Member; Baldwin Park Unified School District

I was born 29 years ago in Los Angeles to immigrant parents. My father is a mechanic and my mother is a homemaker. I moved to Baldwin Park as a young kid and have been a resident ever since. I attended Jerry D. Holland Middle School and Baldwin Park High School. At Baldwin Park High School I graduated top of my class and received a partial scholarship to Georgetown University. At Georgetown I made Dean's List, studied History in Spain and tutored for the Upward Bound Program. I graduated with a History Major and English Literature Minor. I became and remain the first and only person in my family to go to college.

After giving much thought to why I was one of only a limited few from my community to attend a four year university I decided to return home eager to provide educational opportunities to underprivileged kids. was hired by a local school district and became a History Teacher as well as the Coach for the Freshman Football team. This was by far the most challenging professional experience in my life. I was a roaming teacher with no classroom, teaching two preps and managing an entire football squad.

That experience highlighted some of the positives and negatives in the teaching profession. I found students with incredible potential but who were surrounded by a faulty support system. In spite of this I met and learned from incredible educators that guided me throughout my early teaching profession. More importantly I was motivated to provide stronger support for students in lower income communities. I continued my teaching profession at a progressive public school in the Los Angeles inner city. I was drawn by the collective vision at that school, which placed students at the center of their educational goals. Although challenged to create my own curriculum at this school I felt supported by the administrators and teachers who were innovative and nonconforming in their pedagogy. Our greatest reward was watching some of our lowest performing students go on to college.

After reflecting long and hard I decided to pursue my childhood dream of becoming an attorney.I earned a merit scholarship to the University of San Francisco School of Law. At USF, I worked at the Instituto Laboral de la Raza and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission bringing forth wage and hour violation and discrimination claims. Thus, even as a law student I continued my commitment to helping those marginalized members of our society.

I am a member of the California Bar and presently work as the Associate House Counsel for the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 12. As a Labor Lawyer I protect the rights of working class people and many of our members reside in the City of Baldwin Park. Recently I was appointed to the Baldwin Park Planning Commission. In this capacity I make decisions that positively impact our City by implementing the General Plan.

But my draw to education has never faded. This past year I became a part-time instructor for a College in their Criminal Justice Department. More importantly, after discovering that 15 of the roughly 20 schools in my district, in the 2007-2008 school year, were labeled "program improvement" I made the decision to run for School Board.

My goal is to reform our schools for the better and thereby improve our City. Serving as a School Board member will allow me to strive towards providing quality education to all students in Baldwin Park. I will accomplish this by always putting students first in my decisions, making academic achievement a top priority, and holding all stakeholders accountable for the success of our students while providing them with support. Ultimately, I intend to carry Baldwin Park schools to a level that competes with the best schools in this state.