I have spent my entire adult life working as an educator in many capacities. Starting as an elementary teacher assistant in Alameda right out of high school I later moved into play-based education with young children in classroom settings. As the years progressed I realized I was not a fan of the traditional punitive systems that most classroom-style schools followed so I decided to look into forest schooling. I’ve worked with two “forest schools” consisting of elementary and middle school-aged youth delivering curriculum focusing on collective liberation and intersectional environmentalism. Before coming to The CIL I was leading the free environmental programs (ages 5 to 13) and the paid workforce readiness programs (ages 14 to 26) at the non-profit I was working with.

How/Why did you get involved with the Independent Living Movement?

I was referred by a dear friend whose organization has partnered with The CIL for events. I decided to get involved because I am passionate about empowering and uplifting youth, especially youth with identities that might marginalize them in society. Learning and building alongside folks of all backgrounds and identities only strengthens community solidarity and IS the path to collective liberation.