Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
I am a first-generation immigrant from Brazil, having spent a majority of my childhood living in Venezuela before coming to the United States at 14. I am the oldest of three children, and my mother and younger sister live in Brazil while my brother lives and works in Ithaca, NY as a mechanical engineer. I come to ImpactTulsa as the Director of Collaboration and Partnerships after teaching middle school Social Studies, Geography, and US History for six years. My years as a teacher showed my that there is no work more important and essential than that of educators. My time in the classroom fundamentally changed my understanding of myself and of community, and pushed me to join and develop community organizing efforts across Tulsa to address systemic issues that were impacting my students’ abilities to fully realize their potential. Over the course of so many years of this work, the following has always been true in the way I build my partnerships: 1. Having a deep belief in the wisdom and expertise of the community. 2. Co-creating goals and benchmarks, with high standards for action (let’s get aligned, then roll up our sleeves and get to work!). 3. Owning, modeling, and encouraging continuous improvement and self-reflection. Every day, I hope to propel the work to make Tulsa a place where any student, regardless of zip code, can access an education system that is built for their success and humanity.
I created and facilitate the Birth Through Eight Strategy Tulsa (BEST)'s Community Advisory Group (CAG), a year-long cohort that unites community members and decision makers to address barriers impacting Tulsa families, develop tangible skills, and collaborate for meaningful policy changes in childcare and financial empowerment. - Apply expertise in community organizing to influence policy change at local and state levels, in collaboration with BEST partners, Tulsa community members, and various members of the Oklahoma Human Services leadership - Design and facilitate bilingual sessions for over 90 community members, with a focus on skill development and mentorship to address systemic inequities in policy - Cultivate relationships with city and state-level elected and agency leaders in order to advocate for and follow up on participants’ policy pitches
2018 Teach for America Corps Member | Former member of founding 6th grade team at the Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences and former 7th grade Geography & 8th grade US History teacher at East Central JH in Tulsa Public Schools | Department head: History & Social Studies and mentor teacher to second-year US History teacher - Teach an original Social Studies curriculum that is aligned to Oklahoma State Standards, which pushes students to develop academic resilience, introspection, and civic consciousness - Lead school-wide Professional Development on support for our students, and continue to support school initiatives for high academic expectations and community-building - Serve on a team with the school’s lowest suspension rates and highest academic achievement - Collaborated on and implemented plans to support TSAS 6th grade families and students through a middle school transition during a fully virtual school year, achieving high academic and socio-emotional data
In August of 2023, the Oklahoma State Superintendent threatened to revoke the accreditation of the Tulsa Public Schools district. I helped bring together a broad coalition of students, parents, educators, and community stakeholders to mount a campaign to preserve our district from takeover. - Collaborated on a media strategy, kept in contact with all main media channels, developed a media toolkit, and was the main media contact throughout the campaign - Supported middle and high school students in organizing a bilingual event to address threats to school district accreditation, amplifying student voices in policy discussions, and garnering significant media attention - Coordinated messaging efforts targeting the Latinx community through Spanish-speaking media and utilized community networks to disseminate information and mobilize support for Tulsa Public Schools
Kendall-Whittier’s first intergenerational comuunity organizing fellowship for Latinx community members. - Designed and executed two year-long intergenerational and bilingual programs with the goal of training 20 Kendall-Whittier parents and students on core community organizing skills - Led two cohorts through the process of planning and executing House Meetings, synthesizing their findings, and developing organizing strategies for concerns that were expressed in meetings - Planned community-wide town halls, with multiple city council members and Tulsa Public Schools leaders to hear the community’s concerns and make plans for improvement - Successfully lobbied for street light improvements in areas of high need in the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood, and an addition of speed bumps, crosswalks, and crossing guards in a neighborhood elementary school with multiple traffic safety incidents