BEING THE CHANGE --- I have worked multiple jobs as a faculty Adjunct at colleges and universities while also working in the non profit organization, Pin@y Educational Partnerships. I would teach at Skyline College in the mornings, then commute to UC Davis to teach in the afternoon. I also did a similar commute to Sonoma State University where I taught an evening course twice a week. There would be times when I taught on weekends to teach graduate students at the University of San Francisco. I teach because I am passionate about social justice and believe in my students. Also, I teach out of necessity to pay for rent and feed my family.
 
What I learned from my students and their families is that we share similar experiences. They expressed narratives of holding down multiple jobs, going to school, and supporting their family. For many, the struggle has become unbearable. I have listened to stories of students who couch-surfed between friends and family homes to attend college, families moving to other cities or states because they could not sustain themselves in communities where they have lived for decades, and undocumented families fearing that parents will be deported. All of these experiences inform and drive my work as a Daly City Council member.