Teresa is a mixed race Black and Filipina from Oxnard, California, having roots in Negros and Cebu, Philippines and the Southern region of the United States. She received her M.A. in Asian American Studies (San Francisco State University) and her B.A. in Ethnic Studies (UC San Diego) and centers her work around Black Americans, Filipina/o Americans, and mixed Black and Asians (blasians) and Blacknpinays (mixed Black and Filipina women).