About:

For:

2006 MCC Conference

Arts and Media

I am primarily a portrait artist. I curated the 7th Annual African Heritage Film Series Art Exhibit this month, at the Santa Barbara Cabrillo Pavilion Art Center. The closing reception will be February 26, from 3pm to 7pm. In addition to painting portraits, I studied graphic design and now do photo retouching and restorations utilizing Adobe Creative Suites, primarily Photoshop. Designing logos, brochures, flyers and newspaper and magazine ads. Currently, I am also working as a contractor helping Proctor & Gamble with the art transition of Wella Balsam, Sebastian, Graham Webb and Johnson hair products,all of which they purchased. Combining gallery shows, portraits, graphic design and family is the very challenging and very rewarding life I am living.

I am a producer for the PBS series Independent Lens. Through voluntering and networking, I have become an active participant in the Bay Area film and television community and an advocate for public media. If film and television is your career goal, I advise you to take advantage of the local, community media organizations in your area such as public television stations, public access stations, production houses, media funding organizations, and etc. These organizations often list job openings, offer fiscal sponsorship/funding, and have people you can talk to about getting started in the film and television industry. Taking advantage of local resources is a great start. Of course you can always go straight to Hollywood's door.

Business and Management

I began working with South County Housing Corporation (SCH) as a California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH) intern in June 2003, while a senior at UCSC. I began coordinating with project managers on the development of a 49-unit project for low-income seniors in the City of Pacific Grove and a 49-unit transitional apartment complex and homeless shelter in the City of Gilroy. I also took a lead in securing funding sources for the demolition of the Salinas Road Apartments, 77 substandard and dilapidated motel units, and the new construction of a 64-unit apartment project for farm worker families in the town of Pajaro, located in the unincorporated part of Monterey County. In June 2004, I continued at SCH as an Associate Developer where I project managed the temporary relocation of its 55 families. I also managed the new construction of Kents Court Farm Worker Mobile Home Park, consisting of 19 mobile homes in Pajaro. The project is now serving as a temporary home to many of the families from the Salinas Road Apartments. Currently as a Project Manager, I am refinancing four affordable apartment projects in the cities of Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Watsonville and am coordinating the rehabilitation of the Connell Apartments in Gilroy. I am also working with the City of Watsonville to demolish and reconstruct a mobile home park that also has a temporary and permanent relocation component. My tip to students: Participate in as many internships as you can and explore various working sectors! Interview mentors and colleagues. Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions or for help! The CCRH one-year internship allowed me to gain solid, technical skills, which are now essential, as I continue to strive for the empowerment and improvement for quality of life of low-income communities, through the avenues of community advocacy, public policy, and affordable housing development. I never knew about this field prior to the internship, nor that I would end up loving it!

Bachelors in Community Studies in 2000. MBA from Santa Clara University in 2005. Initially worked in the private sector as a Youth Sports Programs Director in Puerto Rico. Director, Homeless Youth Project in Guatemala. Active youth community volunteer for several years. Transitioned into the Private Sector and got my MBA while working for FileMaker (Apple Computer) in Marketing. Now living in the South Bay working for a small, privately owned company as a Business Development Manager. Advice: Don't be afraid or intimidated to utilize the financial, social, or spiritual resources that present themselves to you...and pay it forward.

I am currently managing and creating economic development programs and strategies for the City of Brentwood. In addition to realizing programs that promote job creatiion and retention, I also have responsibility for the development of affordable housing projects. I have an extensive background in private and public finance. From my time at UCSC, I use a number of courses outside of the Economics discipline in my profession. These courses in the other social sciences and polictical science help me to consider the ramifications of such areas as environmental/land use considerations. My best career advice for students are 1) truly examine what transferable skill sets you may posess, and 2) network. 1) Your education isn't just about the material covered in class. What other skill sets do you posess from employment, hobbies, extracirricular activies, etc.? Are you someone that others would want to work with? 2) Network with other people in your career search. Conduct informational interviews with people doing what you want to do. Informational interviews help to determine if there are gaps in either education or skills, what you need to do to fill them. In my case networking lead to an intership where I had a position lined up at the beginning of my Senior year.

Advise from a 64 year old UCSC African American Alumnus to students who could be my grandchildren. Is there any relevancy here? (I have a 20 year old at Chico State) But for what it's worth. Life is short. Do what makes you happy but save money. Happiness is going snow boarding at age 64, because you eat right, get plenty of exercise, and all that new snow in Tahoe..wow! I am what I am, event planner, because I took a sailing class at UCSC and was accepted as a CORO Fellow after graduating Santa Cruz. My company, Honey Let's Travel, (search google for more info) has a niche market of African Americans that we take on yachting vacations in the Caribbean. There is not much money in it, but I love my work, and I am the only one in the world doing it. Before that I owned three copy shops in the SF Bay Area. This guy from Santa Barbara asked me to go into business with him, but I blew him off saying that I thought Kinkos was a dumb name for a copy business. Oh Well! Cap'n Paul

I came to UCSC intending to major in Earth Sciences (oceanography). During my freshman year, I took Introduction to Sociology, and immediately got hooked on the study of social problems and social change, thanks to the wonderful professors who taught that course. I eventually graduated with a degree in Sociology. Since 1976, I have been working in Human Resources as an Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action professional at various companies to insure that the doors to employment opportunities are open to people of color, women, and people with disabilities.

Hi everyone, I graduated in 2004 with degrees in Economics and Philosophy. I worked for EOP for over a year in the Graduate Information Program office, and helped to write the current website. Please visit it for help with your graduate application process: http://www.ucsc.edu/eop/gip. Currently, I am an graduate student working on my Master's in Business Administration (MBA) at the University of San Francisco. I am happy to be a part of MCC and would like the opportunity to network with both the students and my fellow alums. I look forward to seeing everyone."

After practicing law for 24 years, I now manage the Wells Fargo Community Development Group for the Los Angeles metropolitan region. My group is responsible for the company's charitable giving, financial literacy and community development efforts. My job requires me to develop relationships with the many and varied community-based organizations and nonprofits in the greater Los Angeles area to better understand the unmet credit needs of low- and moderate-income individuals and communities. Then we can leverage the vast resources of Wells Fargo to meet those needs by supporting and investing in those organizations and nonprofits whose missions include affordable housing projects, job creation and workforce development activities and neighborhood revitalization.

Jessica Salcedo has worked in both the private and public sectors, as an analyst and an internal consultant. She has worked abroad in over seventeen countries and has lived in the Netherlands and Spain. In addition to her professional career, Ms. Salcedo is actively involved in her community. She is a consultant for Net Impact, providing business strategy advice to local bay area non-profits. She is also Chair of the Education Committee for the San Francisco Chapter of NSHMBA (National Society of Hispanic MBAs). And she serves on the Family Selection Commitee for Habitat for Humanity. Advice to students: Never underestimate yourself. Make informed decisions. Always follow through. Set goals for yourself (not only in your professional life, but in your financial and personal life). Give back to the community and get involved.

Begin with the end in mind. Take some time to seriously consider the kind of work that you want to do, the kind of company you'd like to work for, the type of environment you want to be working in and where you'd like to be located. This will require some planning and research, however, the web, the Career Center, relatives and friends, alumni and this conference are all great resources for finding this kind of info. Once you define what you are looking for your search process will become more strategically focused.

Kenya Wheeler is a Senior Planner with Parsons Brinckerhoff, and is a senior consultant in PB PlaceMaking, a nationwide service center that specializes in Land Use and Transit Oriented Development planning. My planning practice has focused on improving the link between the investments that are made in transportation infrastructure and communities where these facilities are constructed. I have conducted technical analysis and facilities discussions between public agencies, developers and members of the public to identify the best option to design communities around new transportation facilities, principally focusing on public transit. I have also planned new transit facilities, and currently I serve as the lead technical planner on a 13-mile, $600 million proposed expansion of light rail transit to the Sacramento International Airport. Selected major planning projects that I have completed include initial planning efforts for the BART Extension to San Jose, a statewide plan for expanding Amtrak service and an evaluation of the impact of Transit-Oriented development in the San Francisco Bay Area. Prior to working at Parsons Brinckerhoff, I worked at the Valley Transportation Authority, AC Transit and the UC Santa Cruz Office of Community Planning. In addition to my professional work, I serve on the board of the Northern Section of the American Planning Association as the San Francisco Regional Activity Chair and I am currently the Secretary for the Northern California Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.

Health

My motivation to become a pharmacist is NOT just to fill prescriptions. This career gives me the opportunity to help the Spanish-speaking community with their health and drug needs. It is really rewarding to have people trust in you and to help them out. Careers are in pharmacy abound in retail, hospital, biotech, management, etc. I like this flexibility. My advice: do well in you basic science courses, but also take a lot of courses in the humanities and economics. Also, volunteer in the community!

Self-employed fitness trainer. Working primarily in the areas of boxing fitness and performance fitness. Instructor for fitness boxing systems.

Career Advise: Always shoot for the stars, never be afraid to try. Failure is either never trying or giving up. Never be a failure. I am currently a Medical Director (MD) for two organizations: - Doctors on Duty Urgent Care Clinics - Salinas Valley Hospitalist Medical Group

Ruth P. Wilson (Oakes College, UCSC 1975) is an Associate Professor of African American Studies at San José State University. Her research focuses on the interaction of culture, health, and disease in human populations. Her published work includes numerous scientific reports and articles on health beliefs and behaviors among urban African-Americans at risk for cardiovascular diseases and HIV/AIDS, as well as articles and reports on appropriate home management of childhood diseases in African countries. From 1988-1994 Wilson served the United States Public Health Service as a medical anthropologist, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in Atlanta, Georgia. While at the CDC, Dr. Wilson had the opportunity to work nationally and internationally, providing technical assistance for the development of culturally appropriate health care programs throughout the United States and in six African countries. In addition to her current teaching and research activities at San Jose State University, Dr. Wilson provides program development and evaluation services to community-based organizations.

Law

Migrant Farmworker who graduated from Adult School at Delano H.S., Graduated from Porterville College in 1972, Graduated from UCSC in 1974 and UC Hastings College of the Law in 1977 as a father of 5 children. Was active in MECHA, La Raza Law Students Association and a liftime o finvolvement with the United Farmworkers of America. Founded OLA RAZA to assist disadvantaged students gain admission to Law School, pass the bar exam and gain first hand experience in the delivery of legal services and information. Have been an active board member, The California Rural Legal Assistance since 1978 (and past past president). Also a member of the National Farmworker Service Center (Founded by Cesar Chavez) and newly elected member of the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior (National Institute of Mexicans Abroad) Advisory Board. I am 62 years young, I manage and operate 3 Immigration Service Offices in California, conduct a weekly one hour immigration program on radio campesina (California, Washington, Arizona and some parts of Sonora) and I am involved in Immigrant's Rights Legislative Advocacy. I am a Law graduate with a J.D., not a practicing Attorney. My son Roberto Ignacio, my daughter Claudia and my daughter Yvonne attended UCSC. I have previously participated in this event and have enjoyed sharing my experience with students. I have had two students as summer interns (2004/2005). I often receive phone calls from students who are familiar with my work and who are interested in the type of work that we have engaged in since 1974.

I grew up in the Los Angeles area and was the first in my immediate family to attend college. While a student at UCSC, I was very active in various student organizations, and served as MEChA co-chair. I took a brief leave of absence from UCSC to work for Congressman Matthew Martinez in Washington D.C. After graduating, I worked for State Senator Gloria Romero, and later for SEIU, Local 434B, the largest labor union in California. While at SEIU, I was the public policy director and worked on healthcare and affordable housing issues. I am currently a first year student at Boalt Hall School of Law. I am active with both the Boalt La Raza Law Students Association as well as the Berkeley La Raza Law Journal. I can give input on finding employment after graduation as well as the law school admissions process.

I was raised in Los Gatos, CA and attended high school. I attended De Anza College and enrolled into the GAP program to be considered for UCSC. I completed my AA at De Anza and worked full time throughout school. I began studying at UCSC in 1992 and due to the high number of credits, I studied Philosophy, Physics, and Biology even though I was a Psychology major. Some of the classes such as, Psychology Internship, Cultural Psychology and Clinical Psychology had significant effects on the direction I chose upon graduation. The only thing I would have done differently is not work full time during my second year. After graduation, I continued volunteer work with the agency that sponsored my internship, the Mental Health Center. I remained on for one year and started working at Avenues to Mental Health, now called Alliance for Community Care. I continued to work for them for seven years and learned a great deal about the mental health field. I returned to school in 1996 to persue a nursing degree. I studied at Mission College and graduated with honors and became licenced to practice as a Psychiatric Technician. I started in a new direction of healthcare in the psychiatic field. I have worked at El Camino Hosptial in Mt. View in the ER and PICU, at Atascadero State Hospital, and in Arizona I managed a 12 bed dual-diagnosis facility. My education has served me well. I now work for the Superior Court of AZ as a Probate Court Investigator and I am working on a pilot program with the Department of Corrections to assist the Court in monitoring inmates who have been recently restored to competency and deemed competent stand trial. I traslate for some of the clients because we have a tremendous number of Mexican-Americans in our state. I love my work. I would like to go to Graduate School and may attend Argosy in the near future to persue a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and may take some Judicial Studies courses offered by my employer. Ideally, I would have liked to go straight to graduate school from UCSC, but money was an issue. I like being in a position now that I can take my time and enjoy classes while working in a job that allows me the flexibility to attend classes. My career advice is follow your dreams and don't be afraid to take chances in your work. I wanted to work with the mentally ill and I have continued to work with this population in a variety of capacities. If I had been timid, I would not have been able to take advantage of these opportunities. Being open to new experiences within your field allows for more opportunity and satisfaction. I see too many of my collegues "burn out" in the mental health field and that is why the variety and new opportunities for growth are so important.

The academic program that I know helped me the most when I was an undergraduate was the MARC/MBRS program. I would have taken advantage of more interships early on even if they were just volunteer. The most important career advice that I can give to anyone pursuing a career in forensic science is to be very patience with the system and with yourself.

Public/Social Services

Orson Aguilar, the Associate Director of the Greenlining Institute, has a diverse experience serving non-profit organizations in housing, economic development, youth training, and public policy issues. The Greenlining Institute is a statewide public-policy, research and advocacy center serving California's growing diverse communities. Mr. Aguilar focuses on private and public policies that promote fairness and equity for low-income and minority communities. He has played key organizing and advocacy roles in corporate mergers and acquisitions that have resulted in billions of dollars in investments for minority communities. He has met with the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Alan Greenspan, and other key economic leaders to discuss the banking and credit needs of low-income communities. Mr. Aguilar has been instrumental in developing Greenlining’s Fair Growth and Sustainable Development Program that seeks to ensure that all residents benefit from California’s ever-changing growth and economy. Currently, Orson is working on an initiative entitled “Beyond Environmentalism,” a project that seeks to create a new politic that speaks to the aspirations of low-income and minority communities. Mr. Aguilar has presented at several conferences, hearings and forums, on a diverse array of issues that include the environment, economic development, energy, housing, and banking. Prior to the Greenlining Institute, he was a fellow with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and he interned at several organizations, including Fannie Mae, The Texas Low-Income Housing Services, ACCION International, and Barrios Unidos. Mr. Aguilar received a Masters Degree at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas. He was born and raised in East Los Angeles.

As a migrant person, I have experienced that the best way to get anywhere or get the opportunity to develop any professional connection or opportunities, is determination. I faced many challenges coming to a new environment and a new culture back in 1994 when I was barely 12 years old and what worked for me to achieve a degree at the university level has been the motivation of my family, mentors, but most importanly self conciousness that I can achieve whatever I have in mind. El querer es poder, y el poder es hacer.

I currently work as a Clinical Psychologist with the Department of Mental Health in Los Angeles, California. I provide individual and family therapy to children and adolescents, conduct psychodiagnostic assessments and consult with collateral contacts (e.g., schools, courts, probation). I also teach graduate level course at Pepperdine University. Previously, I have worked as an administrator in two community mental health programs and as a social worker with a foster family agency.

I would say that most of my professional development came from some of the real world experiences that I had after UCSC. After graduation I was able to intern for the Governor's Office in Riverside, become an AmeriCorps member, then I went to work as a staff member in the Governor's Office (Gray Davis), then over to the State Legislature's Black Caucus, a large labor union, then the Riverside County Fire Department's Public Affairs Bureau. I never though I would work for a public safety agency, but it has been great. I mostly deal with the media to ensure that our department receives proper coverage for incidents and that public is educated about the various capabilites our department. Our firefighters do way more than just go to fires, I help people understand that our people are going to traffic collisions, Hazardous Materials, medical aides, water rescues, cliff rescues, all kinds of calls. I am open to any student that has questions. I would not have been successful with out the help of other UCSC alumni. I am very serious about that.

I am from Calexico, California. The seventh of eight siblings. The first one in my family to go to college. I was a farm worker as a youth and later a community organizer with the United Farm Workers Union (UFW). I was able to attend UCSC due in great part to the training and support that I received working with/for the United Farm Workers Union. I also took advantage of the affirmative action programs that were in place back in the day. I graduated from UCSC with a degree in Community Studies. After graduation, like so many of us, I choose to live and work in Santa Cruz. I worked primarily with community-based organizations in Watsonville, and then with the county of Santa Cruz. I went to UC Berkeley for graduate school. I earned two masters degrees, one from the School of Social Welfare in clinical social work and another Masters from the School of Public Health in public health education. I worked as a health educator for several years in HIV/Aids epidemic in the early 90's. I decided to become a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) in 1995 and have worked as a therapist in the chemical dependency field for the past ten years. I am currently employed as a Psychiatric Social Worker II at the County of Santa Clara's department of alcohol and drug services with the Addiction Medicine & Therapy Program. Our health clinic is located on the east side of San Jose. We are an inter-disciplinary team consisting of medical doctors, nurses and counseling staff. The majority of the people that are my caseload are Latino. middle aged Latino/ Mexicano drug addicts. We have a mutual respect for each other. UCSC has changed a lot since I was an undergraduate. Human service work has fallen out of favor in the recent years. I like what I do very much and would not do anything else. I enjoy working with/for my community. I would be glad to answer any questions you may have when we meet.

I was a Jr transfer, '71. I did attend Williamette University, Salem Oregon '69 - '71. It is the oldest University in the No. West. I was recruited out of L.A., in the day when affirmative action was the norm. '75, I graduated from USC, School Social Work. Earned a MSW (my wife, ditto & Stevenson '73 Community Studies) My hope then & now is to assist w/social change as I am able. Currently, 25 plus yrs w/No.L.A. Co. Regional Center(not affiliated w/L.A. county services) as a Case Manager for the developmentally disabled. The agency contracts yrly w/the State Dept of Devel. Serv. There are 21 centers in the state. San Andreas Reg. Center, San Jose, reaches out to Santa Cruz & down the coast. A few terms as shop steward, '99 - '04. I service adults living in a variety of settings (residential, apts & a few living w/elderly folks). Keeping it real: new grads do not expect to start at the top the 1st job, unless it is family business, self employed &/or just won the lotto. Dress for success as the culture of the job indicate. 2/28/06 is my last day of employment w/the Regional Center. 3/01/06 will be my '1st' day of early retirement. I'm looking towards 6 - 9 months of relaxing (light at the end of the tunnel).

Hello, my name is Liz. I am a San Jose native and I currently live in San Francisco. I was raised by a single mother who immigrated from Mexico at age 3. -My advice.... My first year in school many of my friends dropped out. Many of them were smarter than me. My best advice to students is this: find a support network, utilize everyone around you to help you through rough and stressful times. People want to see you succeed and they will gladly support you, you just need to ask (and then be sure to nurture those relationships that do support you). So here's my (rather dull) story.... I entered the social services field as a counselor at a group home in Santa Cruz. Wanting to advocate for more comprehensive and culturally competent services, I joined Larkin Street Youth Services. I worked at an emergency housing shelter and a transitional living program for homeless young adults and was later promoted. I have served with Larkin Street for the past 4 and a half years. Currently, I am a finalist for UCSF Master's Entry Nursing program. I hope to continue pursuing my goal of improving the practices of the child welfare system by specializing in child-adolescent psychiatric/ mental health nursing. Having an advance degree in this field will allow me to impact the system and policies. -About UCSC.... UCSC proved to be an incredible resource for me in my personal and professional development. I encourage current students to take full advantage of their on-campus resources such as EOP programming, student organizations and, especially helpful to me, was serving as a Residental Assistant.

Science

I still haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up, and I certainly haven't decided whether or not I'm actually going to ever grow up. But I have come to understand what is really important in my life: my family, my home, and working at something I enjoy and feel good about doing (hopefully both in the same job). I have earned an important position at UCSC. I get to help and encourage minority students while at the same time enjoy the independence, responsibility, and pride that comes with developing and implementing my own program. I never could have achieved any of it without the friendship of my peers and the invaluable support of mentors. There were many times when I was totally prepared to quit school (both as an undergraduate and graduate student), but they wouldn’t let me. I never regretted toughing it out, and was able to grow personally from those experiences. In my current job I try to do the same for the students I meet with. I do my best to help them get to the next level, to help them succeed, no matter what that looks like to them. I am definitely a life long learner. I hope to always be curious, to seek out new challenges and take advantage of opportunities. I’m not sure where I will be in the future, but I have the confidence to know that I will make the most of it.

As a recent graduate, I can't say that I have had quite a bit of experience under my belt. But, I can tell you that as a transfer student to UCSC, my experiences as an undergraduate weren't the same as those who came in right after high school. I had to quickly adapt to campus life and make the most of what UCSC has to offer in half the time that non-transfer students have. I feel lucky to have met friends and mentors that listened and encouraged me during my short academic time there.

Teaching/Administration Higher Education

I entered UCSC in 1976 but soon left to study and work in San Francisco. I was fortunate to work with dynamic student organizations at San Francisco State University, with the National Coalition for Redress/Reparations in the Japanese community, and for the Hotel and Restaurant union, Local 2. I moved back to Santa Cruz in 1987 and worked on voter education programs and local elections. I returned to UCSC to produce student leadership development workshops and conferences. When the Student Organization Advising and Resources (SOAR) office was created, I became an advisor for student organizations. In 2004, I was selected to be the Director. I feel very privileged to serve in this position; each year I get to meet and work with creative and dedicated student leaders.

My professional development began with committment and discipline. Involvement with professional societies, conferences and positive role-models. I would of liked to learn three languages instead of two and have taken advantage of the Study Abroad program while attending UCSC. Brief career advice: Think of where you want to live and consider the professional prospects and income levels required to live in that area.

I attended UCSC as a transfer student and graduated with an emphasis in African-American Healthcare inequalities. Immediatley after graduation I worked as a health educator for two years. Currenlty I am in the Ethnic Studies graduate program at SFSU. My end goal is to become a University Instructor.

I was born and reared in East Los Angeles, attended Loyola High School with AP courses at East Los Angeles College, and active in the civil rights and Chicano Student Movement of the 1960's and early 1970's. My motheer's family resided in California before the U.S. annexation of 1848 and is in part descendent from California native peoples. While a student at UCSC, I learned as much from my participation in student government and public interest activism as I did from my classes. I was able to develop my second Spanish language skills from course work, community involvement, and international study; but I would have benefited by having enrolled in a 6 month or longer education abroad program. I enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Political Science at UC Berkeley, where I gained knowledge of issues in public policy, Latin American politics, and international relations leading to opportunities that allowed me to pursue a career managing organized research programs at the University of California system. Served on government and non-profit boards and commissions on fiscal policy, immigration, and public policy, Ford Foundation Fellow.

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in the area of Social Foundations of Education. After UCSC, I attended the University of Utah to study with Dr. Sofia Villenas. She introduced me the field of education and a caring network of Latino scholars. I teach and conduct research on Latino educators in non-traditional settings, citizenship practices and citizenship identity formations among young adult Latinos in California. My long-term goal is to facilitate university and community collaborations on service learning and strengthening community resources. Academic and professional developments that helped in my educational journey were being involved in student activism, working with non-profit organizations, coordinating Latino youth leadership programs, traveling outside of the U.S., training in qualitative research and participation in academic conferences. My career advice for those who desire to teach and research in high education is to be involved in service-learning, do independent studies, constantly engage in the practice of writing, apply for out-of-state summer research programs, seek a faculty mentor, and stay in touch with professors at UCSC. Be prepared to spend much time in isolation reading and writing, while also staying connected to family and friends. It is a competitive and psychologically rigorous field because others are constantly evaluating your “intelligence” and knowledge. You have to become grounded in your identity and abilities, without receiving validation from others. My research work takes significant and special meaning in my teaching, mentoring of minority young scholars, collaborations with researchers, and work with non-profit community organizations. I love creating spaces and places to share knowlege in and outside of academic settings.

The academic/professional activities that helped me as an undergraduate was to volunteer in school activities. Due to my passion/interest in Education, I purposely volunteered in classrooms, worked with students in developing after school program, and worked with parents in helping them to become advocates for their children. My interest in Education came from being a student who did not fit the social norms, consequently almost dropping out of high school. I also stuttered from the time I started elementary school until my undergraduate experience.

Teaching/Administration K-12

As an undergraduate at UCSC, I enjoyed spending time helping my own community. I was one of the first students that worked on the Step-to-College Program in Pescadero, which mentored students in motivating them to go to college. I also participated with activities with MECHA. I received by Bachelors of Arts in Community Studies with my focus on, Latinos and Academic Success: how to improve academic achievement. I was able to conduct my 6 month field study in New York to complete my senior project. Since graduating from UCSC, I have worked in various community based agencies working directly with the community in meeting their needs. I've worked as an Assistant Director for a First 5 LA School Readiness Program, where I developed a start-up program to meet the needs of preparing children and their families so they would be prepared upon their entering school. This program also taught them how early child development plays an important role in a child's life.  In my current position, I am working directly with parents and students in providing them with workshops throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District to ensure that the students have a college ready home environment and am informing them about academic accountability. Nevertheless, Community Studies prepared me for my current position. I say choose your major wisely and make the best of your college years. Volunteer! That counts a lot on your resume. And remember, in order to be successful, one must project an image of success at all times.

Currently, I am a Ph.D. candidate in education at UC Santa Barbara. The title of my dissertation is "Measuring the Black-White Achievement Gap in Racially Isolated Schools". This area of research emerged from the program evaluation and research work I do at LAUSD. Internships and trainings I have attended over the past eight years played a key role in my development. In terms of developing your own career, seek out opportunities here and abroad, and network, network, network!

As a third grade teacher in a Spanish Two-Way Immersion program, the challenge I find most rewarding is raising the academic achievement of at-risk students, particularly English Learners. I first began my work in the classroom as a bilingual para-educator during my undergraduate years at UCSC. Upon graduating in 1998, I began working as a bilingual teacher and later focused my teaching in Two-Way Immersion education. After obtaining a M.A. in Educational Administration, I worked as a summer school principal last year. At the university level, I have also taught undergraduate students in the area of bilingual education. Attending and presenting at professional conferences has been an extremely valuable experience for me. Conferences keep us current on effective, research-based models and instructional practices. Additionally, they provide a forum in which to dialog and network with like-minded practitioners. Often in conjunction with such conferences, I have also found opportunities for classroom observations/school visitations to be equally valuable.

While attending UCSC I was exposed to social justice and student movements with many different labor unions, non-profits and other organizations. These opportunities opened many doors which helped me to decide what profession I wanted to be in. Something I cannot stress enough is then importance of regularly meeting with your academic advisors, mentors, TAs and professors. These individuals will help you "see clearly" and support you in your success. My career advice: I wake up in the morning, love going to work and seeing my students. Your career should involve something you feel passionate about-- do not make a passion a "hobby."

I am currently enrolled in the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) getting a Single Subject Teaching Credential and a Masters Degree in Education. My teaching placement is at the June Jordan School for Equity in San Francisco where I teach 9th and 10th grade World History and Ethnic Literature. The best part of UC Santa Cruz are the various communities for students of color that exist throughout the campus. Take advantage of those communities and the safe space that they create because they are harder to find outside of UCSC. Being in a graduate program in which I am one of a few people of color, I now realize how important those communities were for my growth and survival as a student.

I am currently working on a teaching credential and a M.A. in Education through UC Berkeley’s Multicultural Urban Secondary English program. MUSE is a two-year program that prepares teachers for jobs in under-resourced middle and high schools. Before beginning the program, I worked as a summer school teacher and a substitute teacher in the Vallejo City Unified School District. I have also been employed as a grant writer. My decision to teach was influenced by my involvement in UCSC’s student organizations, which provided me with opportunities to interact with younger students as an undergraduate. I was also motivated by my work in the Oakes community as a writing tutor and a neighborhood assistant. Finally, the Faculty Mentor Program prepared me for the rigors of graduate school and inspired me to chose a teacher preparation program with a strong research focus.

Making connections with professors and resource specialists on campus, and developing interdependent study groups with my classmates were the things that made my time at university and in grad school the most successful academic years of my life. Not only did those experiences help me to stay afloat and stay focused, but they helped me developed enduring enrichment habits that have carried me through my professional development to reach my career goals thus far. If I'd have known better at the time, I would have taken advantage of the full breadth of resources at my disposal through the Career Center. Also, as far as career advice is concerned, do not let even one precious summer go by without an internship. Internships are the ultimate way to beef up a recent grad's resume, gain invaluable work experience, and "test the waters," as it were, to see what careers might fit you best. Remember, very few graduates actually wind up doing anything closely related to the subject in which they majored at university.

Technology

I have had a successful twenty-plus year career in the software industry working in a wide variety of roles, mostly technical, from single contributor to managerial. My undergraduate education at UCSC was a dog's breakfast of linguistics, cognitive psychology, computer science, and Chinese. I was not particularly good at any of these, but I relished the variety and freedom to explore the "connections" that I perceived in these subject areas. With 20-20 hindsight, the apparent jumble of courses turned out to be a solid foundation for my career. I did go to graduate school in linguistics, but within a year it was obvious that I wasn't Ph.D. material; I took my Masters degree and ran. As an introvert, I found it difficult to take advantage of UCSC's student services. Part of finding the first job is finding out about yourself. The Career Center offers psychological tests that provide insight into careers that match for your personality. Your first job is exactly that, a first job. Some people need structure, others find it stifling. Some people think they can work indoors, others find they need to breathe fresh air. Some people want to work with many people, others prefer just a few individuals. Some people like a high-pressure environment, others need a relaxed situation. You may love it or hate it, but you will learn a lot about what is important to you, so hang in there for at least two years, unless there are strong reasons to leave.

Databases are used in almost every industry: at a hospital to track billing charges; at a high tech company to track furniture, computers, and other equipment; at a nonprofit to know where to get food, clothing, and shelter for a client. I have worked with databases for over 20 years. Anyone can learn the technical part of how to do what I do: just take a UCSC Extension class! If I had to do it over again, I would have taken personality profiles tests like the Meyers-Briggs to have learned earlier what sort of professions are open to me. And I would have attended the Career Conference!