I come from a big family.  I grew up loving and appreciating nature, sports and doing fun family activities with my brothers and sisters.  My mother was of Mexican descent, a first generation born in America.  She made a lot of sacrifices for family, and so lessons of giving and faith in self have always resonated with me.  My father is African-American, from the South, an Army vet and Virginia alumni, who has dedicated his professional career to Health Care; and my Step Mother is from the Carribean, a strong woman who has dedicated herself to social work.  I spent a third of my life in Southern California as a young, hip, nerdy, athlete learning the wonders of Los Angeles, earth, the world and the universe. The next third of my life I lived in Virginia, focusing on education, commiting to a life of tennis and the German language.  After spending a year in Germany as an exchange student and graduating from the University of Virginia I began my life in Arizona as a graduate student at ASU learning the ways of Education and Leadership.  I have worked for the Deer Valley Unified School District for 10 years, as a coach, substitute teacher and now for 5 years as a Career Teacher @ Deer Valley Middle School, where I feel at home, respected and challenged to help our students discover their pathways through this world.