“Ethnomathematics has provided me a tangible language and approach with which to address the inequity in mathematics education.”

Hometown

Monterey Park, California

Department

Curriculum Studies

Related Degrees

• Graduate Certificate, Ethnomathematics

Where do you work?
I work at Dr. Maya Angelou Community High School where I teach Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and the AVID Elective. I am also our AVID coordinator.

How has the Ethnomathematics program impacted or benefitted your career path?
My teaching program at UCLA was very much focused on addressing inequity in education under the umbrella of social justice. Ethnomathematics has provided me a tangible language and approach with which to address the inequity in mathematics education.

Is there anyone in particular who inspired you to pursue teaching as a career?
I don’t think I could name one individual, rather, small moments that built up over time into this overwhelming drive to pursue a career in education.

How did you become interested in the field of education?
I believe I’ve always had a love of learning, but in my early education, I was not given an environment to nurture this curiosity. After negative experiences in my schooling, it took many years later to find my passion of learning once more. Fueled by this experience, I began to explore how we can create better spaces for student-centered learning, at first through education technology and now through my work in the classroom.

What are your future visions and goals?
My future visions involve exploring how we can integrate Social-Emotional Learning into content curriculum and how introducing decolonized mathematics in classrooms can bring equity in education.