Background
Being an immigrant in this country shapes my approach and the perspective that has guided me throughout my personal and professional experiences. It was during my undergraduate years that I found some wonderful mentors that inspired me to continue my career in higher education. My extracurricular involvement in higher education organizations is how my initial organized steps in bridge building began that prepared me for the peacebuilding initiatives that I am involved in today. I am passionate about creating social change through nonviolence, nurturing relationships that transcend cultural barriers, and focusing on diversity, inclusion, and equity issues.
Education
- Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, 2016
- MBA, International Business and Management, Mercy College, 2014
- MEd, Higher Education and Student Affairs, University of Connecticut, 2006
- BA, Anthropology, University of Connecticut, 2004
- BA, Spanish and Individualized Major in Latino Studies, University of Connecticut, 2004
Specializations
Conflict management; diversity and inclusion; facilitation; higher education; marketing; mediation; negotiation; nonviolence; peacebuilding; peace education; social justice; and social media.
Experience
I am highly organized and have over 20 years of experience and success in administration, and in student development within academic and student affairs. I have been a faculty lecturer teaching courses on peace and conflict resolution, and a professional mediator and facilitator in the community for over 10 years both in New York and Hawaiʻi. I currently teach undergraduate courses on facilitation and community organizational change, negotiation, mediation, managing human conflict, and research and peace, as well as a graduate course on conflict management for educators. As the Educational Specialist at the Matsunaga Institute, I am involved in the administration and collaborative leadership of the program, as well as the active development of community outreach events and initiatives.
Community Engagement
Through the Matsunaga Institute, Ceeds of Peace, Conflict Resolution Alliance, Institute for Climate and Peace, Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Museum, Nagasaki Foundation for the Promotion for Peace, and other organizations, I have had the fortune to organize and facilitate many community dialogues and action planning around topics of diversity and inclusion, social justice and equity, organizational management, peacebuilding, strategic planning, and conflict management training. As the Peace Corps Prep Coordinator at UH Mānoa, I have guided students in identifying a direct pathway between the knowledge attained in the classroom and its applicability beyond by creating opportunities to connect with Peace Corps Recruiters, the Return Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV), and others with shared interests.