Candidate for
Trustee; Peralta Community College District; Trustee Area 7

I grew up in a working class neighborhood of the Bay Area where few people even considered attending college. I would be the first to tell you that I did not find success in school and in my professional career on my own. I had schoolteachers, adults and mentors who supported me along the way. That is why I am so committed to issues of educational access, both as a student advocate and now as a professional: so that I can give back to the community that gave so much to me. I want to take the skills I've learned as a public school finance advisor for schools all across the state and apply those skills so that others are able to share the opportunities that I've enjoyed.

As the first person in my family to graduate from college, I understand the barriers to education faced by today's students. I am a product of local public schools, receiving a BA in Sociology from UC Berkeley and a Masters degree from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley. At Cal, I led the student recruitment and retention center for underrepresented students and fought to expand educational opportunities. In recognition of my work, the University awarded me the prestigious Priestly Award for "contributions to student welfare."

Currently I am the vice president of an East Bay firm where I work as an education finance advisor for California's community colleges and public school districts. In that time, I have raised over $2.2 billion for state schools, thereby improving educational opportunities for thousands of students across California.