When I was a junior in high school I took an elective class called La Promesa, designed by the Puerta Project at SSU. Through this class I was able to turn a volunteering experience into an internship. I spent nearly a full school year in a first grade classroom with a teacher who was friends with my mentor. It was at my former elementary school, in the room where my brother had been a first grader. During my time there I got to observe my teacher mentor and learned what went into lesson design and classroom setup. I also got to work with students one on one and in small groups, I guided them in reading practices and in math. I got to see these kids grow and truly feel like this was the career I wanted. I was invited to the open house and felt my heart swell when I saw all of their work displayed and when they all happily greeted me. One mom came up to me, and thank me for supporting her son, she had so much pride on her face that it reminded me of my own mother and I knew then as she spoke to me in Spanish and this little boy looked up at me, that my dream of being a teacher would become a reality. To commemorate the end of the school year I made my kids bracelets and keychains with their names. Their little faces beaming with joy is something I cherish, overall this experience is a memorable one. There were hiccups of course, like that one time a sub left me (a seventeen year old) alone with twenty-five kids but I would do it all again.

For three summers, 2021-2023, I was the art assistant for a project called Our RADWall by the Rail Arts District in my hometown. It was a program open to the youth of ur community and we typically had middle school students attend multiple sessions and some even came every summer. My role as an art assistant consisted of giving the kids a walk-around of the site where they'd paint their murals and give them any support they needed while maintaining the site. I also led break activities and was involved in prep and clean up. My middle schoolers were a joy to work with, some more open and outgoing than others but I still did my best to foster a safe space and let them know I was there. While this wasn't an "academic" setting, it was still a much-needed space for youth to be creative and share their ideas, to feel a part of their community, and to leave a mark. Here is a video I made last summer!

While in college, for a time I worked as a California Mini-Corps Tutor. This is a program that serves migrant and Spanish-speaking students across California with tutoring services. It provides college students with the opportunity to gain classroom experience and work in a field that students are or might be interested in. Over the summer of 2023, I tutored at a credit recovery program for high schoolers back home and at an elementary summer program. It was my first time working with high school students but gradually I got in my element and was able to slowly gain the trust of my students and the respect of the teacher I worked with. I worked with my kids on their writing and analysis skills and led the art portion of the program! They grew comfortable asking questions and for feedback, they called me Miss Diaz and Maestra, teacher. Part of my job was to get in touch with two parents and let them know how their kids were doing. One of the moms I was able to talk to was so kind and thankful. I hope I made a good impact on those kids, that they know I cared. Especially the girls, not all Latina young women have people in higher education that they can look up to, especially if they're already being told both directly and indirectly that they may not make it far in school or that they don't have to. It is an experience I value greatly and will remember for a long time.