Where I started.
I was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador and was adopted when I was about a year old by my parents— my mom, a public school special education teacher and my dad, a systems manager for the telephone company. They taught me the core values that have shaped my life and now, shape what I hope to bring to the office of County Commissioner. From my mom, I learned to be kind and to look for ways to accommodate those being left out. From my dad, I learned the necessity of analytical thinking and the importance of asking the right questions. From both of them, I learned to be critical of systems of power and the status quo.
I grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago which is well-known for its good schools and in particular, its racial integration. I was fortunate to live in a community committed to diversity in race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. At the same time, I learned firsthand about how integration doesn’t always mean equity, and started thinking at a young age about what it would really mean for people of different backgrounds to have the same opportunities and access to resources.
These questions led me to study Anthropology, with a Spanish minor at Butler University. Anthropology is all about trying to understand the world from someone else’s point of view, and I loved that challenge so much I went on to get my Master’s degree, also in Anthropology, from the University of British Columbia. While studying Anthropology, I participated in an archaeological excavation, which is where I met my college sweetheart, Allison. She is now my wife!
From the Classroom
to the Household.
While completing my Master’s program, I had the opportunity to teach classes for the first time, where I realize that I loved being an educator and working with young people. I became a Social Studies teacher, then the Dean of a high school designed in particular for students with disabilities.
I moved to Bethlehem in 2017, when my wife Allison got a job at Lehigh University. I began working for the Boys and Girls Club of Allentown as the Director of their Teen Center, which showed me what our young people want and need to keep them safe, healthy, and happy. Seeking new ways to bridge the gap between school and home, I became a case manager with Communities in Schools of Eastern PA. I was based in Whitehall Middle School, allowing me to meet students where they were at, collaborate with their teachers, and also connect their families with supportive programs and resources. The barriers students and families were facing were diverse: poverty, language fluency, physical and mental health, just to name a few. But what they had in common was that there were ways that people both inside and outside the schools could help.
During the pandemic, I recognized the scale of the challenges that families are facing and was promoted to Manager of Data and Evaluation within my organization. Today, I oversee training, data integrity, and continuous improvement projects for our network of more than 40 school sites. I have both the firsthand experience and the statistical bird’s eye view of what’s working and what isn’t, which I hope to bring to the office of County Commissioner.
What I care about and love.
Outside of work, I have been a committed volunteer with a number of social justice organizations. I have collected signatures in support of inclusionary zoning in Allentown, hosted city council debates, and volunteered for a number of political campaigns including Greg Edwards for Congress in 2018. Most recently, I have served as a member-leader with Lehigh Valley Stands Up where we have supported candidates for local office, organized ballot initiatives in Lehigh County and Allentown, and built a restorative, relational organizing community of working class resident’s committed to change through building political power.
I am also an avid photographer, bird watcher, and musician. I enjoy hiking in the many parks and trails throughout the county. I bike the D&L trail north and south, and I walk my dog, Dingo, every day in our West Bethlehem neighborhood. The Lehigh Valley has so much to offer, and I’ve enjoyed building and working for my community in every way I can to make a caring, empathetic, connected, and sustainable world.
