In my role as an educator, I pride myself on fostering a welcoming classroom environment based on joy, inclusion, and respect. This means taking the time to get to know my students, their identities, and their lived experiences. This means I see my students holistically, rather than as a grade or dismissing them as “just” an undergrad. I intentionally design activities for students to share about their own personal background in connection to the course material: how their lived experiences inform their ways of viewing the world and how that might connect with (or contradict) the assigned readings and course content. Just as I share my own personal background and cultural identity, as well as my journey to higher education and my current research, students also have opportunities to share about themselves in ways that feel safe and meaningful. In this way, I foster a community of learners within the classroom space.

This past summer, I taught EDS 25: American Higher Education and the Collegiate Experience as an Instructor of Record. Held over Zoom, this course was made up of 150 incoming freshman participating in the Summer Bridge Program. Together we explored topics related to diversity, equity, and systems of power in higher education. This was an incredibly rewarding experience, as I was able to support students with their transition to UCSD as well as provide an intellectual space to learn about and reflect on important issues in higher education. As one student reflected in her final essay: “I am helping to slowly dismantle the systems that EDS 25 has taught me to recognize.” In recognition of my teaching, I received an Outstanding Graduate Teaching Scholar Award, one of only six students across campus to receive this honor.