Born in Washington D.C. , I grew up with two brothers, as an air force brat, in a family that did a lot of traveling. I've been to 45 states plus Mexico and Canada. I've lived in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Colorado, Nebraska and California, as well as Germany and Morocco.
During high school in Southern California I worked in the Sunkist groves as an orange picker and a smudge pot lighter.
After graduating from Corona High School I started to work as a custodian, later as a groundskeeper and then a garbageman, while taking classes part time at Riverside City College. I next applied for and received a nomination to the United States Military Academy at West Point. I was awarded a Bachelor's degree from Cal Poly at San Luis Obispo while working as a dishwasher in the university's dining hall.
After working as a roofer, I returned to college, first at Hayward State, then receiving a Master's degree at the College of Notre Dame.
I worked as an instructional aide for nearly eight years. before getting my first teaching position with the hands-on ROP program in San Mateo County.
It has been my honor to have worked at the AV district for nearly 20 years, as an alternative education teacher at Rancheria, as well as math and history at the Jr/Sr H.S., and been a part of the academic transformation of our schools. We now have some of the highest test scores in the county, and in algebra, some of the highest test scores in the state.
My job is to solve problems and maximize options and opportunities for the students, their families, the staff and ultimately the A.V. community. It is my responsibility to maintain and increase the rigor of our academics to ensure the continued success of our college and university bound students, as well as making sure that all of our graduates have job skills that guarantee their success in the workplace.