“I come from a long line of public servants, and UC San Diego has always been part of my story. My parents met here as Revelle students, and my grandfather helped shape the early School of Medicine. Some of my earliest memories are walking this campus with my family. I arrived in 2001 as an undergraduate at Eleanor Roosevelt College, driven by a desire to make a difference. After graduating, I worked as a classroom inclusion aide and fell in love with education. I returned to UC San Diego for my master’s and teaching credential, where mentors helped shape my equity-centered, anti-bias approach. While teaching middle school, I came back again for my doctorate, balancing full-time teaching with evening classes and weekend research. That experience deepened my belief that student success is not just about academics, it is about connection, identity and belonging. In my research, I worked with military-connected youth navigating constant change. What stood out was their resilience. They...