I am an experienced professor of Spanish and Intercultural Studies, dedicated to my students and to community outreach. I love sharing my passion for languages, music, culture and travel with students every day. As a native of Pasco and a CBC alumnus, I identify strongly with both the students I teach and the community at large. My community service and travel experiences throughout various countries enrich my instruction and commitment to diversity. I have taught twenty different courses at CBC, and I continue to serve on various committees and collaborative projects. I look forward to many more years of service. Go Hawks!
M.A., B.A., Washington State University
Washington State Patrol Pro-Equity Anti-Racism (PEAR) Team Member, 2022 to present
CBC Inclusivo Strategic Plan Steering Committee Member, 2021 to present
Tri-Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Educator of the Year, 2020
LULAC Club Faculty Advisor, 2019 to 2023
CBC Faculty Mentor, 2018 to present
Student Conduct Board and Student Appeals Board Member, 2018 to present
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Member, 2018 to present
School Advisory Council Member for St. Patrick Catholic School, 2014 to 2017
World Languages Department Lead, Columbia Basin College, 2002 to 2017 and 2020 to present
Latino Leadership Advisory Committee, 2014 to 2016
CBC Faculty Senator, 2004 to 2006 and 2010 to 2012
Latina/o Culture Club Faculty Advisor, 2009-2012
CBC Board of Trustees, Celebrating Excellence Honoree, 2011
Coordinator & Instructor for the CBC Centro Bilingüe Summer Camps, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010
NISOD Excellence in Teaching Award Recipient, 2007
CBC Foundation Faculty Excellence Award Recipient for a U.S. Latino Culture Lecture Series in South America, 2006
National Endowment for the Humanities Institute Fellow in a program entitled, Mesoamerica and the Southwest: A New History for a New Land, traveling throughout Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, 2004
CBC Upward Bound Program, Latino Culture Instructor, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005
"Zoot Suit," CBC Theatre Production Consultant, Casting Assistant and Actor, 2001
Chairperson for the Pasco Southwest Voter Registration Education Project, 2000
Dolores Huerta visits and guest speaks at CBC, Lead Coordinator, March 2000
Program Director for the Bilingual Reading Outreach Program, a $40,000 community service project that provided tutoring for elementary and middle school students in the Pasco School District by Columbia Basin College bilingual students, 1999 to 2001
Hispanic Academic Achievement Project (HAAP) Member, 1998 to 2000
CBC Multicultural Advisory Committee Chairperson, 1998 to 2000
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA) Faculty Advisor, 1996 to 2004
Washington Association of Foreign Language Teachers (WAFLT) Member, 1996 to present
CBC Student Wellbeing and Learning Equity Scale (SWALES) Pilot Study, 2019
Interviewee for an article entitled “Analyzing the Vocabulary Demands of Introductory College Courses” published in The American Biology Teacher journal, March 2016
StoryCorps Alumnus for recorded interviews archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., 2011
Presenter for a Caminos Hacia Aztlán (Road to Aztlán) lecture series in Argentina on the Mexican-American Experience, 2009
Project Faculty Member for the Race and Ethnicity in the Mid-Columbian Basin, National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Program, 2004 to 2006
National Endowment for the Humanities Institute Fellow in a program entitled, Mesoamerica and the Southwest: A New History for a New Land, traveling throughout Mexico and the U.S. Southwest, 2004
HACU International Conference Participant in Guadalajara, Mexico, Summer 2003
Travel Abroad Assistant Coordinator for international group travel to Portugal, Spain, Italy and Japan 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2008