Position: Unconditional Education Coach
What led you to your current position? I’d been with my last organization for 11 years that was unfortunately impacted by COVID, leading to my transition. After a much-needed reset and time to welcome a beautiful baby girl into the world, I decided it was time to find my way back to my passion and calling: being of service to young people. I submitted my resume through the district portal and ended up speaking with a principal about a vacancy for an elementary school teaching position. Through more conversation and them explicitly asking me, "what is it you’re looking to do?”, I realized this was one of the first times I’d ever been asked that during a phone screen interview. I shared that I was looking to make a difference and positively impact and shift school climate and student experience. And the rest was history…
What inspires you to do this work? What inspires me to do this work is the resilience of the young people I work with, the dire need for caring & consistent adults and a sense of responsibility to positively impact my community, break generational curses, and negative cycles. My grandmother started her own choir back in the late 60s, named The CA Northwest State Youth Choir. She took young people from all walks of life - whether fresh off the street with nowhere to go or raised in the church with both parents in the home. To many, she was a mother-figure and a constant in their lives. She gave young folks an opportunity to not only connect with their ancestry through song and worship, but also a community to belong to and to be seen by. She is survived by many of her choir members who still to this day say, “I don’t know where I’d be today had she not taken a chance on me,” or “if it wasn’t for the choir, I don’t know where I’d be.” Her impact inspires me. That my WHY. It’s in me, not on me!
What is a recent highlight you’ve experienced in the work or an important lesson you’ve learned in this role? An important lesson I’ve been reminded of in this role is that folks don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care!
Share your life motto or something unique about yourself: Something unique about me is that I’m a first generation college graduate of Afro-Polynesian descent, and I’m a Hobby Music Artist! Shoutout to my brothers Rip Pack and Slab (RPS) for being the pioneers of this new genre of music. Our songs are available on iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud.