From Breakout Rooms to Ballrooms: Sharing My Work With Educators Across California

From Zoom Rooms to Conference Rooms: Sharing Our Work With Educators Across California

One of my favorite parts of this work is stepping out of my inbox and into spaces where I get to think with other educators. Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to present multiple times to teachers, admins, and support staff—including through our local SELPA and at the CSDC annual conference—and every time, I’m reminded how hungry people are for systems that actually work for kids and the adults who serve them.

These presentations grow out of the same place my day-to-day work does: special education, MTSS, SEL Tier 3 supports, and the belief that structure and humanity can (and should) live in the same sentence.

SELPA Presentations: Coming Home to My SPED Roots

I started my career in special education, so presenting at SELPA always feels like returning to my home base. These are the rooms where we talk about real students with real needs—not just case numbers and timelines.

In my SELPA presentations, I’ve shared how we:

• Bridge general education and special education using an MTSS lens

• Align IEP supports, SEL services, and schoolwide systems so students experience consistency instead of mixed messages

• Use simple, practical tools—trackers, checklists, communication templates—to keep teams grounded in both compliance and care

What I love most about these sessions is the honesty. People bring their “this is what it looks like on a Tuesday when everything hits at once” questions, and together we wrestle with how to build systems that protect our most vulnerable students without burning out the adults.

CSDC Annual Conference: Scaling Student Support in Charters

Presenting at the CSDC annual conference has been another big part of my journey. Charter schools often run on lean teams and big goals, which means our systems have to be thoughtful, repeatable, and doable on Monday morning.

At CSDC, I’ve highlighted our work around:

• Designing and scaling an SEL Tier 3 counseling program in a virtual/independent study setting

• Building student support structures that serve all learners, including students with disabilities and twice-exceptional students

• Using data to refine services in real time—not just report out at the end of the year

These sessions give me a chance to zoom out: How do we build safety nets that include students, families, siblings, and even staff? How do we create systems that hold high expectations while still being deeply human?

Why I Keep Saying Yes to the Mic

Do I get nervous before I present? Of course.Do I keep saying yes anyway? Absolutely.

Presenting pushes me to:

• Clarify what I actually believe about student support, equity, and wellness

• Pressure-test our systems with people who will ask the hard, practical questions

• Share what’s working so other schools don’t have to start from scratch

As a first-generation college graduate and the first in my family to earn an Ed.D, I don’t take a single one of these rooms for granted. Every time I stand in front of a group of educators, I’m thinking about the students and families behind the data and the systems we’re discussing.

What’s Next

This space is where I’ll continue to share highlights from past presentations, upcoming sessions, and the tools and resources that come out of them.

If you’ve been in one of my sessions at SELPA, CSDC, or another convening—thank you for your questions, your candor, and your shared commitment to students. And if you’re a school or organization looking to strengthen MTSS, SEL Tier 3, or student support systems, I’d love to keep the conversation going.

At the end of the day, my goal is simple: build systems that students and families can feel—and support the educators who make those systems come alive.