About Me

The Beginning

The day I first stepped into a school, I had a total of 4 English words and an immigrant mother who struggled to communicate how difficult it was to let her little boy go. Indeed, it was a terrifying experience for both of us, being in a room full of children who couldn't understand me, an adult I had never met, all in a realm beyond the one I grew up in.

Yet, with all the patience in the world, my teacher became the first person to show me that learning wasn't just about the content students learned, but the mechanisms and approaches in which they do so. She would often dress up as a famous Mexican sitcom character, learned funny catch phrases, and brought pieces of my world to me in order to help me feel at home in the content (ELL or otherwise). This was many years before today's technological advancements and certainly far too early for me to understand how much this truly mattered to me; however, it was the beginning of my love story with learning as well as my first experience believing that creating learning experiences was way more effective than tentatively stumbling upon them.

My Background

Upon graduating from Arizona State University in 2018 with an English degree and a big dream to inspire the next generation, I joined the 2018 Teach For America Phoenix Corps. I could not have anticipated the challenges that awaited me, much as I tried. Nevertheless, it was in this world where I got to apply so many of my experiences as a learner and put them to ardent work. I often attempted to create Culturally-Relevant and immersive instruction, even dedicating my Master's Thesis at the time to the concept of such curriculum and pedagogical approaches: Literatura Latina: Culturally-Relevant Curriculum and Literature in Latinx Classrooms.

Unsurprisingly, it was the 2020 COVID pandemic that broke my classroom in half before it put it back together. With a limited technological background and an ever-present concern for my students, I began to piece things together. First, came the Google Classroom shell and its presentation. From the titles to the assignment pages (which took the form of Google Slides for cohesion), I created digital corners where my students could explore and reside. I discovered Padlet, Jamboard, Quizizz, and Kahoot, and made great use of my limited free trials while doing so. Though I put all of the materials together with sincere excitement, it was a spotty experience at first to engage students how they really deserved. Hits and misses led to reflective sessions and re-designs of the LMS shells, all of which enticed me from the very beginning. "You really care how it all looks and is put together," a colleague once said to me. "Absolutely," I replied, "if students are able to see what it took to put together, and uniquely for them, then why wouldn't they want to take part in it?"

Why Instructional Design?

For me, Instructional Design is my life’s nexus point. It is where all of the ideas and values that I have fallen in love with converge into one singular sphere of infinite possibilities, and it sincerely excites me. From accessible technologies to the presentation of ideas, all the way up to artistic design and leadership in education, it offers me a canvas to explore all what could be and the reflective dedication to everything that should. Beyond the “What,” this field affords me the “How?” and “Why?”

I am currently an Instructional Designer Associate and I hope to one day become an Instructional Designer that paves the way for what it means to learn effectively and via a transformative lens. Since beginning my position, I have gained experience with academic course deployment, E-learning tool deployment and knowledge (Digication, Yellowdig, GoReact, etc.), interactives and Articulate Storyline, Adobe Express and AI-enhanced content delivery, Adobe Premiere Pro and video editing, and growing experiences in the LearnDash and Canvas LMS interfaces. As these tools and ideas grow, It is exciting to think about how the role I dream of can change before I even get to attain it, a testament to the rapid transformative power of this sector.

I have no doubt that I bring a diverse viewpoint with my experience in the classroom, non-profit liaising and leadership, and higher education advising and mentorship work. I possess and have developed a plethora of skills, including effective writing and line editing, digital art and visual design, curriculum design and development, data analysis, learning technologies, and meticulous and precise project management and communication. However, most importantly, I have nurtured a sincere passion and dedication to a field that cares deeply about what learners see and experience, which is all I could have ever dreamed of.