Curriculum Vitae

As a passionate learner and first-generation student, I understand the importance of education and its empowerment to lift voices, spark curiosity, and create leaders who change their environment positively. As pedagogy continues to evolve, I believe it is the educator’s responsibility to be adaptable and provide the latest, most effective learning approaches to their students.

Through the Solar Energy Association at UC Merced (SEA), a university student organization, I led several 30-minute circuit theory workshops for an audience of undergraduate peers. These workshops would occur once or twice per semester, and I was responsible for instructing participants. Through one-on-one demonstrations, I taught students how to use soldering irons and troubleshoot any circuit problems. Additionally, the year I was President of SEA, I generated the monthly general meeting lectures, in which I would present solar energy concepts such as p- and n- type semiconductors, electron/hole pairs, and circuit theory. Teaching then became instinct as I was able to hone my skills in public speaking, conflict resolution, patience, and conveying complex topics.

Furthermore, several community outreach projects at UC Merced provided me the opportunity to teach middle and high school students topics such as engineering and sustainability. For example, an annual workshop included fabricating lemon batteries with local female students in partnership with the Society of Women Engineers. I was responsible for creating the presentation which included the instructions and electrochemical concepts behind batteries in addition to assisting in individual questions. By organizing several outreach events with different age groups, I gained valuable teaching experiences. Specifically, adapting my teaching style while communicating the same concepts by increasing the use of metaphors for high schoolers or creating simplified circuit loops for undergraduates.

I matriculated in 2019 at Duke University (DU) as a graduate student and continued my teaching career as a student organizer. I was a lead organizer for the annual Light, Infrared, and Thermal Energy (LITE) outreach event for high school students. I lectured one of the workshops titled Infrared Light and taught electromagnetic spectrum principals including blackbody radiation and Wein’s Law. After the lecture, students were separated into groups and filled out one-page worksheets using thermal, virtual reality goggles. I was responsible for designing the lecture slides, Infrared Light worksheet, and assisting students with their packets for all other workshops. Again, I was tasked with clearly communicating scientific concepts to participants with little to no background knowledge in electromagnetic phenomena and light-matter interactions.

At DU, I was a teaching assistant (TA) for two undergraduate courses and one graduate course throughout my doctoral program. In the Spring of 2021, I facilitated office hours for an undergraduate course, ME 331: Thermodynamics, which composed of approximately 40 students. I was responsible for grading homeworks and laboratory assignments for half the class. During my weekly virtual office hours, I would receive many questions regarding the weekly homework sets. To gain a sense of the learner’s understanding of the course material, I would ask which concepts are familiar and which are unknown, if any. From this point, I guided the student to the correct answer by asking specific questions pertaining to the course content. If there was further difficulty understanding the material, I would ask for the scholar’s preferred method of learning before continuing. It is important to note individual learning styles and the value in adapting my own teaching methods to increase the effectiveness of my approach. For many students, visual learning was the appropriate next step. For example, I drew a schematic of the Otto cycle and the respective thermal process for each step. In addition, I ensure the student feels supported in order to create a safe space, which maximizes learning outcomes.

The following Fall semester, I held similar grading responsibilities for the undergraduate course, ME 431: Heat and Mass Transfer, which consisted of more than 70 students. Grading assignments were distributed equally among 5 TAs, and student interaction was minimal. However, I ensured proper feedback was given to students on their homework assignments when points were missed. Therefore, students are aware of the origin of their mistakes and understand the course content post-grades. In the Spring of 2022, I continued my teaching assistantship for the graduate course ME 555: Electrochemistry in Energy Applications. I graded select homework assignments and held office hours for a class of 11 graduate students. I was also responsible for sections of the answer key for the homework and midterm. In-person office hours allowed me to work on a whiteboard and have in-depth discussions with the students. I used similar teaching approaches as the year prior while also modifying my educating style towards graduate students. For example, researching the weekly latest technological applications related to the course material.

To further improve my teaching abilities, I participated in a DU course titled Facilitating Student Learning and Teaching Innovation that greatly influenced how I teach today. I learned how to develop a graduate level course while investigating modern theories on pedagogy. To begin, I will introduce the course and lecture objectives for all future classes I organize to ensure the learners are guided in their studies and have clear expectations. Learning objectives also create a holistic view of the course simplifying theoretical concepts into summarized bullet points. My perspective on student engagement was also altered. Although I recognized individuality when teaching undergraduate and graduate students, I learned about the different possible motivations for education such as generational differences influencing learning habits and the three domains of learning (affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains). I am now able to identify possible effective strategies when teaching different groups. I understand that my teaching skills will continue to evolve as each new classroom will require its own learning strategies. I am eager to learn simultaneously with my students and provide the most effective learning approaches.

A serious lack of diversity in higher education and specifically within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields is motivation for mentorship and organizing science-based workshops. Through peer mentoring, I aim to provide resources and a support system focused on college preparatory and success. Common themes for the STEM-based workshops hosted include thermal energy, solar cells, and circuity.

As an undergraduate student, I found that my voice and story have power in creating a positive change among young Latinas. I participated in an Expand Your Horizons (EYH) conference for women in STEM in which I spoke about the challenges I faced and overcame during my time as an undergraduate student. Simultaneously, I began to grow a passion for engineering. I became a student leader for the Solar Energy Association at UC Merced and I began learning about circuity and materials science. I used the skills I learned as an engineer to develop several solar energy and circuitry workshops and outreach events for middle school students in Merced. I hosted a Solar Car Challenge with over 40 middle school teams participating in the solar race competition, and I organized an Energize Merced conference geared towards underrepresented high school students to inspire engineering and sustainability through energy research. The conference involved several oral and poster presentations on renewable energies from businesses and research professionals. My experience as a student leader has prepared me to create successful STEM diversity programs, and I will apply my knowledge and skills in my future professional endeavors.

At Duke University in 2022, I organized a one-day, immersive event called Light, Infrared, and Thermal Energy (LITE) workshop for high school students. The program focused on emissivity and infrared light for thermal control and sustainability in textiles and smart buildings. Students assembled cardboard goggles with virtual reality and thermal vision capabilities I helped to construct using two software applications and a FLIR One thermal camera. At the University of Chicago, I continued the outreach program and held a one-day LITE event for local high school students. Today, I continue to organize outreach initiatives in my home state of California.