As a Latina artist, my undergraduate and graduate experiences have benefitted from opportunities for students. I had the opportunity to attend federally designated Minority and Hispanic-Serving Institutions as an undergraduate and graduate student. The experiences provided me with an understanding of the value of educators and mentors who promote an inclusive environment and enable all students the ability to access the tools needed for success in art and education. This included female and male supportive mentors and faculty. 

As a result of these experiences and my lifelong commitment to diversity, I deeply believe that providing an equal-opportunity educational environment encourages opportunity across gender, racial and diverse cultural communities. An educational institution that supports these values will enhance the student experience, and enable a collaborative and innovative learning environment. 

My pedagogical practice pays particular attention to the socio-economic, political, and historical experience of people of color and how we navigate through it to become evolved versions of ourselves. My teaching philosophy inspires all groups and cultures to recognize the similarities and struggles we all face as humans for visibility and acceptance. As a teaching assistant at Otis and a workshop presenter for the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, I developed a progressivist teaching philosophy that focuses on interactive learning. I believe that it is most effective to engage students in the learning process by inspiring them to integrate their own knowledge, life experiences, and cultural history into the classroom setting. I used this approach in a workshop about La Virgen de Guadalupe, a Mexican cultural icon that symbolizes Old World conquest and political liberation. The objective of this project was to learn different perspectives and to learn how to respect different arguments while containing your own opinion. 

I also used this method when I was presented the opportunity to assist in an Advanced Critique class at Otis. In this class, the professor assigned each student a day to present paintings, sculpture, performance, video, or any finished artwork. Art critique has a specific system that provides a foundation for conversation. Questions, observations, and curious comments make their way around the classroom and each student is calculating their own opinion on what the artwork means. In this class, I supported students’ comments as well as developing relationships with the students to inspire them to participate in class. Working with different collegiate level professors has assured me that I’m interested in creating a classroom environment full of questions, answers and inclusive conversations. 

As an alumnus of an all-girls college preparatory high school and Vincentian undergraduate university centered around service, and my experiences coming from a middle class Mexican American family, I have developed an art practice and educational philosophy that is based on a foundation of diversity and opportunity. My mother is a career educator in a working-class neighborhood in east San Jose and my father teaches leadership at a Latino-based charter high school system. My own educational experiences as a student in a dual-language elementary school, attendance at minority-serving college institutions, and my family’s emphasis on education have cemented my commitment to diversity and equity inclusion. 

As a teacher and professional master fine artist, I also engage in the community to ensure that my social art practice and teaching career go hand in hand: 

• Participate in the local San Jose and greater Bay Area art community as an artist.

• Reach out to local programs that can support the students in my classroom, and advocate for and support diversity in charter/public school art programs

• Engage with local government officials and community organizations to advocate for and support diversity in public art and art education

In conclusion, I believe we must welcome and embrace diverse socioeconomic, ethnic, and gender communities to create a wide-ranging pool of thought processes and perspectives. My commitment to diversity is consistent with my passion and sense of responsibility to make a meaningful contribution as a Latina artist, educator, and activist.