As a classroom teacher, I know that schools play a crucial role in students’ access to higher education.
I’m proud to be an college access advocate and ambassador by sharing what I know with students, families, schools, and educational organizations across California.
Below, you’ll find three trainings/presentations I’ve led that I’d love to share with you!
“Using authentic modeling and targeted coaching to build students’ writing skills”
(Bay Area Writing Project’s Voice, Identity, Access & Equity Workshop, 2024)
As an English teacher, I know how crucial high-quality classroom instruction and 1-on-1 coaching are in cultivating students’ writing skills. I led this workshop for the Bay Area Writing Project to train teachers and school leaders on instructional strategies that empower students to identify and problem-solve their writing challenges. Ultimately, we as educators need to put the responsibility and opportunity of thinking back where it belongs: in our students’ hands.
“Applying Our Best Selves: Using literacy strategies to demystify the college admissions process”
California Reading Association’s Literacy and Language for All Conference, 2025
On paper, the college admissions process is one that everybody has heard of; in practice, it can be one of the most opaque and stressful processes students and families face. In this workshop for the California Reading Association, I helped fellow educators implement literacy strategies to demystify common components of the college application, from reframing overly verbose, vague essay prompts to contextualizing how supplementary materials (like activity/award lists and recommendation letters) get used in application evaluation.
“Get Silly To Get Serious: using play to bring in students, families, and community partners”
Western Association for College Admission Counseling‘s Room To Bloom Conference, 2026
One of my core beliefs is the value of silliness: I’ve learned that unexpected moments of laughter and joy help students push through the challenges ahead of them. I recently had the opportunity to lead a team of four college advisors as we shared how approaching college advising through a playful lens has helped us raise student engagement, build trust between families and staff, and create cultures where everybody matters.