My commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion in academia is grounded in my personal experience, as I can easily relate to the physical, emotional, social, and institutional barriers that constantly remind some of us of our differences. My work and life experiences have earned me an affiliation with several “marginalized groups.” Being conscious about how I can help create a better, more inclusive atmosphere in the world is important to me. Teaching does not happen in a vacuum; we must at least acknowledge the realities beyond our educational institutions (and even within it) that constrain or distort the learning of students. In my work, this means doing what I can both as an educator for my students and as a colleague for my peers.
My experience in teaching has allowed me to openly discuss and celebrate diversity. I have taught students with specific accommodations, international students, adult learners, first generation college students, and a diverse range of underrepresented minorities. My position as an Adjunct Instructor at the University of People has allowed me to connect with students globally allowing me to learn from their diverse backgrounds and worldviews. In the classroom I work to be inclusive. I make it a point to never present myself as a partisan supporter of a side, because choosing sides would only have a negative consequence on a student’s learning experience. I believe that it is the educator’s responsibility to take neutral stances on controversial material, political issues, and general social issues.
I work to eliminate inequities by acknowledging our differences so my students, future leaders, learn and understand that differences contributes to increase opportunities for engagement in the circles of influence in our diverse society. I have built a career integrating my research and my wide‐reaching public service by working with marginalized communities. I work in advocating and ensuring supports to people with disabilities and part of several committees such as the Staten Island Developmental Disabilities Council (SIDDC) and the Interagency Council of Developmental Disabilities (IAC). I am also member of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College and the National Organization of Women (NOW). I also conduct online forums in discussing diversity and equity in academia with topics such as intersectionality, microaggressions and colorism. My ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is solid. Diversity and teaching for equity, is not just something to be achieved or talked about or theorized; it is part of my life and what I do.