Chair, Nominating Committee

Excited to establish new roots in Minnesota after moving from South Lake Tahoe, CA. Lives in Minneapolis with her partner Erik and adventurous cat named Felix. Currently developing new skills within the Minneapolis Public Schools district helping elementary students with literacy and math. She has an extensive vinyl collection and connects to global sounds in that way. No experience playing or reading music, but believes music and other art forms provide various opportunities for liberatory practices to take place.
 

Proud to be a first generation student turned first generation professional. Holds a BA in Spanish, Teaching Credential and MA in Multicultural Education from CSU Sacramento, and is a strong proponent of community colleges since her higher education journey started at Lake Tahoe Community College. Her teaching career began in Sacramento where she taught Spanish language and culture. She has experience working with high school aged learners, adults and seniors in the following areas: Spanish, English and Family literacy to emerging English learning communities. Has experience working in various capacities within education, and was able to transfer some of those skills when she worked at a local hospital in Carson City, Nevada as a community health worker and helped address pervasive health inequities. Prior to moving to Minneapolis, she was director of a federal STEM grant for low-income and Latino/a/e/x students at a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Her linguistic and cultural hybridity have helped her connect with both students, families and community members. She is dedicated and committed to antiracist advocacy work in both her professional and personal life. 

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When she is not working, Josefina enjoys reading in both English and Spanish, the outdoors and traveling. The following quote by writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie encapsulates similar sentiment: "I think you travel to search and come back home to find yourself there." She embraces life long learning and is very excited to grow as a board member and become an honorary Minnesotan.