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Welcome

welcome

About Me

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Welcome to my ePortfolio.  This is an opportunity for you to get to know me as person, a scholar, a community member and contributor.  First and foremost, I would describe myself as a world traveler, a lover of nature and a lifelong learner.  This is inherent in who I am, as I am happiest when I feel free.  There are two quotes by writer, Lillian Smith that inspire me and reflect my thoughts related to travel, nature and learning:

 “I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within."  

 

"When you stop learning, stop listening, stop looking and asking questions, always new questions, then it is time to die."

In addition to freedom, another of my core values is "making a difference," whether it be within my family or in my community.  For this reason, I chose to become a counselor and a professor.

Life Roles

My most important life roles revolve around family and community.  I am a mother, wife and daughter, as well as a counselor and teacher. My parents were first generation college students, who instilled in me the belief that I could do and be anything I wanted to be.  I am honored to be raising two boys with my wife/life partner of 30 years. My family challenges me to be vulnerable and to be present in their lives every day.  My oldest son and I were playing "How well do you know me?" and I asked him if he knew my favorite thing to do.  His answer was "Spend time with me and my brother?"  It wasn't the answer I expected, but it is a true reflection of my priorities.

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National Conference on Race and Ethnicity 2015

Mesa and Me

An important experience that continues to reflect my engagement with Mesa College was my attendance at the the the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE) during summer 2015 in Washington D.C.  This conference left a lasting impression on me.  I listened to students and colleagues talk about painful experiences with microaggressions and overt racism.  I evaluated myself as a professor, understanding that while I have the experience of being a lesbian and a woman, I have tremendous privilege as a White person, who grew up with two college-educated parents.   The conference energized me and helped me to further conceive my class in terms of culture and identity - something I am still exploring and integrating.  I coordinated production of the above video that is still used to encourage faculty participation in this annual conference.

Another experience is taking the lead in our department meetings with the focus on best practices with students and our diverse student population.  These photos depict a puzzle that my colleague Dr. Judy Sundayo and I created to help counselors in considering their experience with various students both personally and professionally.  I still use the puzzle occasionally in department meetings.

Important People and Resources

important people and resources

Community  of Support

I have always thought it was a spectacular way to spend your time.  I remember in my 20's walking by universities and it was almost like a feeling in the air - that sense of all those people who were learning things and getting ready to put them into practice. - Leroy Johnson

Many mentors have supported me as a counselor and professor at Mesa College, but Leroy Johnson, Counselor Emeritus, is the first to come to mind.  He has been an important colleague and friend and has always encouraged me to be the best that I could be.  When I began to think about counseling full-time, he took me under his wing and arranged some observations for me.  These experiences prepared me for both the interview and in joining this wonderful department. We have hiked mountains together, as we both love the outdoors.  I had the honor of officiating at his wedding. Even though he has retired and we don't see each other as often, he continues to inspire me.

Mt. Whitney hike

Important Campus Resources

The campus resource that has had the greatest impact on my teaching this year is the LOFT (Learning Opportunities For Transformation) on the 4th floor of the Learning Resource Center (LRC).  The LOFT is a space for faculty collaboration and professional development.  Last semester, I participated in an online course design cohort sponsored by Mesa Online Support Team (MOST).  Professors Smulevitz and Spoon helped me make my course much more accessible with changes such as using icons to differentiate assignments from content and tabs within content to reduce cognitive load.  Focusing on one unit allowed me to make big changes that I then translated to my entire course.

Scholarly Development

scholarly development

Accomplishment

One accomplishment I am proud of is that I continue to improve navigation and content in my Canvas shell to make the experience for students much easier.  I added emojis to better identify the different aspects of my course and I collaborated with faculty in the LOFT to implement "3 design ideas" for my Orientation, Syllabus and Student Services Group Project.  Last semester, I expressed care and concern for students by being flexible and staying connected throughout the semester with personal messages and "feed forward," regular announcements, and including weekly campus engagement events on their calendar. 

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Setback

A challenge I faced was returning to campus and teaching in-person after teaching asynchronous and remote (Zoom) classes, respectively.  I decided to keep all activities online and to allow students up to two weeks to finish assignments; however it didn't work well both in the classroom and in practice, since students were not turning them in.  Also, a number of students struggled with higher rates of illness or were trying to work full-time and attend school full-time.  I realized that in-person means in-person and that it is time to go back to what works (in-class activities with actual pen and paper).

Example: "Who am I?" Week 1 handwritten activity

Success Strategy

I have learned that teaching, learning and curriculum development are dynamic and as an instructor, I have one of the most important roles in my students' success. I am happiest when I feel that I am making a difference and building relationships and community in and out of the classroom.  Two success strategies that I rely on every day are: self advocacy and help seeking.  I believe these strategies are so important to both my success and the success of my students that they are learning modules in my class.

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Career and Educational Pathway

career and educational pathway

Formative Experiences

While in graduate school, I found myself drawn to LGBT issues.   This was before I knew I was a Lesbian.  I interviewed Gay men who were Deaf and wrote research papers about their experiences.  From this humble start, came the roots of my activism.  I took care of a close friend who succumbed to AIDS in the 90's.  I was the first in the college district to demand domestic partner benefits and I was able to garner the support to receive them.   
 

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When the Marriage Equality movement gained momentum, my partner, Wendy and I were among the thousands who were granted marriage licenses before the court annulled them.  I created a video for YouTube about my experience and because of my openness, I was sought out and interviewed by reporters.  I was actively engaged in the campaign to defeat Prop 8.  I testified before the San Diego City Council affirming their affidavit of support and I sponsored panels and discussions on campus.

August 2008: Legal marriage to my life partner of 15 years

Grasping the Ring, Youtube, 2008

My parents, Mary and Harry

Pursuing higher education was never optional in my family.  I knew I was going to go to college from my earliest memories.  My mother's parents didn't finish high school and didn't have the means to send her to college, so she applied for and received a full scholarship to University of Florida.  The one condition was that she could only pursue elementary education or nursing.  She chose elementary education and later became a homemaker and interior designer.  My father's parents met in a bank, as my grandmother was a teller and my grandpa was the bank manager.  My father attended college on a ROTC scholarship and graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Political Science.  This did influence me to choose Berkeley and I  was fortunate to be accepted there as a Freshman. 

I majored in Physiology because I thought it was the right major for Medical School.   If I had it to do again, I probably would have chosen Art, Religious Studies or Psychology - all favorite elective subjects.   My experiences while in college brought me to where I am today.  I remember three key moments that lead me to pursue Counseling as a career:

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  • I had an American Sign Language teacher who told me I would make a great counselor or teacher

  • I tutored a friend through organic chemistry and helped her to graduate

  • I convinced a friend to return to school after a traumatic experience

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Campanile and view of San Francisco from Cal

My education plan reflects who I am as a traveler and a lifelong learner.  My goal is  to be fluent in Spanish.  SPAN 202 is my one remaining course at Mesa College to complete my Certificate of Achievement.

The theme of my career path is my enduring belief in my own value and that of my students, colleagues and community.  I actively work towards equity for all students and this means, as a faculty member, I put myself under a microscope to examine what I am doing to help or hinder students every day. Sometimes I get flack for my vocal advocacy, but I consider all criticism an opportunity for personal growth.  To be an advocate is to put oneself out there every day, whether appreciated or not.  This is NOT for the faint of heart.

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