I am passionate about accessible arts education and educational equity for students of color. Throughout my career as an educator of color, I have been a committed and enthusiastic mentor of students of color. In recent years, I have moved from teaching at community music schools to teaching in the K-12 educational system. During this transition, I have gained a deep understanding of how children of color & children living in poverty are systematically denied access to a quality education as part of a broader system of oppression in this country. In response, I have become increasingly involved in social justice in education. I am actively working to do my part to address and dismantle the intentional deficiencies and systematic inequities of the U.S. educational system. I am a doctoral candidate in the Education Leadership and Learning program through the University of St. Thomas' School of Education.