Candidate for
Board Member; Los Angeles Unified School District; District 6

Born and raised in Pacoima, I attended local public schools; Liggett Elementary, Pacoima Middle, and San Fernando High School. As the daughter of immigrants, I understand that access to quality education and hard work open windows of opportunity. I was the first in my family to graduate high school, the first to attend college, and earned a Masters degree too. I am a parent -- with a lovely, active 4-year-old daughter, Aura. I believe Aura deserves to be able to attend the very best schools, and that every family in Los Angeles deserves the same. I understand the urgency in ensuring that our schools successfully prepare students so that they graduate well-equipped for college and with the tools necessary to launch careers and pave their own path to success.

I am someone who gets things done. For more than six years I have provided the nonprofit Youth Policy Institute (YPI) with strong leadership. As YPI's Director of Youth Services, I was responsible for managing afterschool programs that provide tutoring and enrichment services at 56 school sites throughout the city. I oversaw a program that served more than 6,000 K-12 students each and every school day. Today, as YPI's Chief Operating Officer, I continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the students and families we serve. In this capacity, I oversee the daily operations of 1,000 staff in education and anti-poverty programs that assist over 75,000 youth and adults each year at 125 sites throughout Los Angeles. In December 2012 I helped bring a $30 million federal Promise Neighborhoods grant to Los Angeles and to the school and families of Board District 6. Promise Neighborhoods is President Obama's signature initiative.

Prior to joining YPI, I gained extensive education policy experience working for the California State Senate District 20 as the Education and Health Field Deputy, where I developed critical education policy for all Californians. During that time I also served as an Assistant Education Consultant for the Senate Select Committee that was responsible for the Development of a Master Plan to End Poverty in California.

I am passionate about public education, our communities, and the success of every LAUSD school. I will continue to be dedicated to the development of action-oriented strategies that increase opportunities for all of our students. Currently I sit on the Los Angeles Mission College President's Advisory Committee, the San Fernando Institute of Applied Media's Governing Council, and am a member of the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project (CLYLP) Board of Directors. I am also an active member of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) and Comisiķn Femenil.

I am committed to ensuring that public schools are engaging parents as key allies, supporting hard working teachers and school leaders, and being responsive to the needs of children and families with limited resources at hand.

I received my Associates Degree from Los Angeles Mission College and transferred to UCLA where I earned my Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and Chicano/a Studies and a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from California State University, Northridge.