I was born in Mexico City and moved to Los Angeles when I was three year old. I consider myself a city girl as I am fascinated by large metropolitan cities. At a young age I enjoyed observing social interactions, cultural influences on behavior and gender inequalities in religious settings (I was brought up in a strict Christian home). At the time, I didn't know there were labels for these interests. Until college, when I took an introductory course on Sociology and knew I was hooked because it reflected my longing to understand the world around me.

Aside from Sociology, I am interested in Early Childhood Special Education and Psychology. I work for the Head Start Program with the 3-5 year old population in the non-profit sector. For those who are unaware of Head Start, "[it] is a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to 5 from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social and emotional development" (http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ohs/). It is a high-quality program aiming to close the education and poverty gap by offering comprehensive services (e.g. mental health, nutrition, social services, special education) and empowering the families we service via education and advocacy.

As a Disabilities Coordinator, my focus is to help identify children at-risk of developmental delays by working closely with teachers, parents and the Public School Districts who partner with us. My primary goal is to educate parents on 1) their child's development 2) how the Special Education system works, and 3) self-advocacy, so once they leave our program they know how to navigate the Public School system for the benefit of their children.

There has always been this nagging thought of why I didn't take more Psychology courses and I am thrilled to have come across this Social Psychology course through Coursera (special thanks to my boyfriend for this). I find the lectures, readings, and videos by Professor Plous incredibly interesting and engaging. The various research and concepts have made me evaluate how others perceive me in social and professional settings. Lastly, I am taking this course in preparation to begin graduate school next year and get into the student mode of studying and writing.

Thank you and I look forward to establishing new connections!