Impact
Each one teach one.
I give back to honor my mentors and guardian angels, as well as my mother and grandmother, each of whom gave thousands of hours to community organizations during their lifetimes.
I’ve always loved that expression—“each one teach one”. This African-American proverb embodies the notion of paying it forward and taking time to nourish possibility in others. Sadly, the phrase originated during American slavery and underscored the necessity of passing on skills from one person to the next.
My childhood, laden with unexpected bumps, was smoothed by many who took “each one teach one” to heart. Everyone that gave me their time and attention, and in doing so, cultivated confidence and hope within me. I am forever grateful to them for their friendship, mentorship, and leadership.
organizations so dear to my heart
FIRST Robotics
For over five years, I served as a Mentor for FIRST Robotics in San Diego County. Along the way, I led a team of high school students to win top awards, year after year, including the coveted Chairman’s Award three years in a row, as well as the Engineering Inspiration Award twice.
International Memoir Writers Association
The International Memoir Writers Association is a community of local writers committed to the craft and business of memoir writing. This remarkable organization serves as an educational and community hub for writers, especially those who explore memoir as a genre. Their annual Memoir Showcase gives voice to a host of experiences through live performance and their Shaking the Tree anthology catalogs remarkable memoir annually. I am honored to be a member and support this organization through my donations and creative contributions.
IRTS Foundation
The IRTS Foundation gave me my first professional opportunity, an internship at HBO. Their summer fellowship is second to none. Now I have the great privilege of giving back to this magnificent organization by serving as a member of the board and creating the IRTS Flying Pig Fellowship, which goes to a deserving recipient who does not attend an elite college.
PATH
PATH, People Assisting the Homeless, is a remarkable organization based in Southern California. It has been my great pleasure to support them through personal blankets and backpack drives, as well as assisting in their kitchen which provides meals to residents of their downtown San Diego facility.
San Diego Hunger Coalition
During the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020, thousands of people in my community struggled with food insecurity. I served as a delivery driver for the San Diego Hunger Coalition, crisscrossing the county with boxes of groceries packed by Jewish Family Service. Along the way, I met dozens of remarkable people who inspired me to lug the next box. You’ll find some of their stories here.
San Diego Performing Arts League
Supporting the arts community is very dear to my heart and it’s an honor to serve as a Board Member of the San Diego Performing Arts League (SDPAL).
SDPAL’s mission is to support San Diego County performing arts organizations and to promote audience development by providing resources, services, and collaborative partnerships. SDPAL is behind ArtsTix, the only not-for-profit ticket vendor in the San Diego region; the Star Awards, a jubilant evening where volunteers from around San Diego County are honored for their hard work and tireless dedication to their organizations; San Diego Theater Week, a 10-day celebration of the performing arts in San Diego; the San Diego Performing Arts Directory, comprehensive listing of all performing arts professionals; and the very popular All Cities Auditions.
SPEAK
While assisting my sons with their college applications, it became evident to me just how fraught and complex the application process is. Moreover, it’s greatly tilted in favor of those who can afford a high-quality high school education and organizational support. In efforts to support equity at my sons’ private high school, I helped launch SPEAK, an affinity group for first-generation college attendees. We provided backpacks with school supplies, a summer program designed to help prepare low-income students for a rigorous college-preparatory education, and hosted monthly mentorship groups.
WOW
Although I am a mother to sons exclusively, I inherently understand the challenges of being a female in STEM. After joining FIRST Robotics as a Mentor, I became keenly aware of the lack of women role models on the team. My desire to attract both female mentorship and membership to the team gave birth to WOW in 2013, an affinity group for high school girls in FIRST Robotics. Within two years, we had the backing of Qualcomm and created chapters overseas and across the United States.
Now, years and years after its founding, WOW boasts alumni working in STEM careers in industry and academia. And lucky me, I get to watch these remarkable girls blossom into even more remarkable women.
Mentorship
I find great joy in seeing others fly.
It’s as if, in doing so, I am flying myself. I am particularly dedicated to mentoring those who come from challenging circumstances, as well as entrepreneurs, girls and women and the underrepresented.
If you’re interested in mentorship and think we’re a match, let me hear from you.