My journey into anti-bias education began in 2010 while I taught in a teacher preparation program at the University of Idaho. I had experience teaching middle and high school students back in Austin, Texas, and loved working with future teachers. I dove deeper into studying cultural proficiency as I taught a course on teaching diverse learners. Through this experience, my interest in understanding the many ways cultural backgrounds and identity impact the classroom took off.

As a public school teacher, I was never taught to explore how my instruction, classroom materials, or discipline could be influenced by unconscious bias. And, I didn’t want future teachers to miss out on this important part of creating classrooms where all students belong. So I completed my Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis on cultural competency within the classroom.

I began centering all my teaching from an anti-bias lens. In addition to teaching in the teacher preparation courses, I was an invited speaker within the medical program, law school, and first-year experience seminars at the University. Most recently, in my role as a director of education for a non-profit organization, I’ve spent the last 6 years offering anti-bias professional development workshops to educators and students in the So Cal area.

This all led me to where I am today. Leveraging over 20 years’ experience within educational work along with my expertise in anti-bias principles, I started MEC to continue the journey of creating learning environments that foster respect and belonging for every student.