Environment & Conservation

I am a conservationist through pursuit and education.

I work on interconnected issues between the environment and Latino/Chicano communities. 
This is an introductory repository and work in progress of personal thoughts and work regarding this work,  coming from personal experiences and reflections as well as current work on various interconnected issues. 

Educator & Illustrator

I am a teacher and artist  by training and practice. 

I have had the joy and opportunity to work with students of all ages and spirits. I have taught and learned from elementary students, middle school students, high school students, at-risk youth, college students and a host of others. I love to be in a learning environment. 

I hold a California Social Studies Single Subject Credential with an authorization for an Administrative Services Credential. I hold a B.A in History and a M.S in Natural Resources & Environment. I have taught science education, primary language development, culture, history, and Spanish in k-12 and at the university level.

Chicano & Latino 

I am a Chicano/Latino by identity.

What is a Chicano? How much of a Chicano am I? As one elder put it once "Xicanos are descendants of guards in Tenochtitlan, they were guards of traditions and practices and thus to be a Xicano is to be a defender of the culture". To this day I think it is one of the best definitions I have heard. I will not give you a "definition" since that can be debated until the quarks come home. Does it mean Mexican-American? Is it a political identity? Suffice it to say, while understanding that for some they fighting words, for now I choose to identify as a Chicano with the safeguarding of culture in mind.