MY STORY
As a first-generation college graduate, I'm passionate about education because it changed the trajectory of my life. This is why I've devoted my career towards expanding educational equality to children who are in the shoes I was once in. |
My story begins with my parents who fled the civil war in El Salvador and immigrated to Los Angeles, California.
While growing up in the inner-city Los Angeles, I helped my mom clean houses in the wealthy parts of L.A. including Malibu, Beverly Hills, Pacific Palisades. My dream became to go to a school in one of these areas, so I set my eyes on Pepperdine University in Malibu and UCLA in Bel-Air. That dream of accessing a world-class education, however, seemed like a far-fetched reality given the challenges I faced growing up in the inner-city. Through the combination of hard work, guidance from my teachers, support from my parents, and some luck along the way, I was able to accomplish my goal of both attending and graduating from Pepperdine University. As a first-generation college graduate, I'm passionate about education because it changed the trajectory of my life. This is why I've devoted my career towards expanding educational equality to children who are in the shoes I was once in. I'm now working to improve education in Houston as the Executive Director of Latinos for Education in Houston, an education nonprofit organization that develops and places Latino leaders in the education sector, primarily on education nonprofit boards and executive teams. Prior to this role, I led the Center for Social Measurement and Evaluation at Children at Risk, a statewide children’s research and advocacy organization in Texas. Previously, I served as a founding director of the Commit Partnership in Dallas, the region’s collective impact organization, where I led the flagship initiative to improve early literacy outcomes for over low-income 8,000 children. Beforehand, I worked in corporate philanthropy and as a teacher in high-need communities in New York City and in Miami as a Teach For America corps member. I'm a Harris County Leadership ISD Fellow and a 2019-2020 American Leadership Forum Fellow (Class XLVII). I serve on the Board of Directors of several organizations making a difference in the community including TEACH and the Latino Texas PAC where I serve as Chairman of the board. I hold a dual B.A. in Political Science and Religion from Pepperdine University and a Master's of Science in Education from Hunter College. |
