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To me, people are inherently valuable, and the point of it all is to improve one another’s lives to forge a better future. Since our actions today create the reality of tomorrow, let us all conspire to intentionally craft the best world we can.
Projects I Support
I believe that if we choose, we can leave the world a better place than we found it. To that end I actively choose to give my time and money to projects that bring value to the community.
Blog
Learn a little about my journey. I hope you will find here, parts of my story, photos, samples of my bad fiction, and the occasional ponderings on the meaning of life.
About Me
Growing up in a financially tight household with my single mother, I faced unique academic challenges due to dyslexia and vision impairment. Despite these hurdles and the complexities of navigating identity as a bi-racial queer kid, I was driven by a determination to succeed. My mother’s decision to home-school me ensured that I received the support and guidance needed to thrive.
My family instilled in me core values of generosity, empathy, and gratitude from an early age. These principles inspired my lifelong commitment to community service. As a young adult, I volunteered at the Salvation Army, mowing lawns, giving out food, and cleaning toilets. We collected recycled bottles and cans and bought thousands of dollars worth of bicycles for families in India. We also supported children and families all over the world, their pictures adorning our kitchen fridge.
My upbringing not only broadened my understanding of privilege but fueled my ambition to explore diverse cultures worldwide. Despite financial constraints and working minimum wage jobs without higher
education or healthcare access, I saved diligently with a vision to travel internationally.
It took dedication, hard work and a vision but, in the end, I successfully traveled the world on a shoestring, backpacking the Middle East, Europe, and Asia while working as an educator. I craved knowledge and experience and after scrimping and saving for over a year, left the US to embark on what would be the first of several backpacking trips around the world where I spent the next eight years, teaching English, Art, and Computers in a few different countries.
None of my adventures were glamorous. I intentionally avoided high-class tourist destinations and attractions staying in hostels and even, at times, sleeping outside. I traveled the European countryside, dusty Middle-east desert highways, and pothole ridden Southeast Asia jungle roads by bus, motorcycle taxi, took took, and thumb; lugging a five-foot, five-ton hiking backpack containing all of my worldly possessions for many years. While I stayed a few years here or there, the backpack was never far, and when I did finally return home, its contents were, once again, everything I owned.
Despite the ostensible modesty of my modes of travel, I had rich and meaningful experiences that impacted who I am to this day. The world molded my mindset, modifying my perspectives on religion, philosophy, science, and the nature of reality. I meditated with monks on mountaintops, danced on beach and desert sands till sunrise, and explored ancient, jungle ruins, castles, and tombs. During my time traveling I saw deep poverty and immense wealth, human suffering, and incredible natural beauty.
The West Bank in Palestine made me vow to work to make the world a better place. Living through a revolution in Egypt awoke me politically, and seeing people living off a dollar a day in Cambodia compelled me to empathy and gratitude.
After I returned home to the US I was again completely impoverished. During that transitional period, I was homeless for months as I worked to save enough money to buy a car and rent a room. Thankfully, walking distance from the shelter was a Taco Bell where I got a job. A few blocks down from there was the community college where I enrolled in classes and four years later I received a bachelor’s in Political Science from UC Davis.
Motivated by social justice issues, particularly after witnessing the impact of systemic racism and police misconduct in my community, I engaged actively in advocacy efforts. This included researching civil rights in school, and contributing to movements aimed at improving societal equity.
Because my goal is to make the greatest impact possible, after I graduated, I got a job working in politics to try and help the most people to the best of my ability, a goal that remains with me today. I view myself as an advocate and I strive to use my knowledge and skills to help connect the community with tools and resources to help make a difference. I strive to elevate the voices of those who might not otherwise have the opportunities to be heard and my goal for the future is to expand my ability to help the community by serving their interest and representing their needs in whatever capacity I can.
So far, I have survived childhood poverty, a popular revolution, physical assault, attempted robbery, and homelessness. I’ve stared down the barrels of tanks, and faced off with soldiers and police. I have been teargassed, shot at, stabbed, punched, and interrogated and, in truth, this is hardly half of the story. I hope to someday tell it in its entirety, if anyone is interested.
I have learned a lot on my journey, and I continue to learn more every day. Fundamentally, however, I learned that people are inherently valuable, and the point of it all is to attain our fullest potential and better one another’s lives to forge a better future. Since our actions today create the world of tomorrow, let us conspire to intentionally craft a better world, now.
“The meaning of life is to achieve your greatest potential, the purpose of life is to give it away.” – A slightly adapted version of some bumper sticker.
See you out there.
G.
