Through his challenges and experiences in education and as a South East Los Angeles (Bell) native, Carlos understands the importance of student advocacy and parent involvement. Through his work as a student organizer and 6+ years of teaching, Carlos developed a commitment to leadership development and pathways to higher education for youth over the past 10 years. After receiving his Bachelor’s (Political Science and Chicana/o Studies) and Master’s degree (Education) from UCLA, Carlos worked as a history teacher at Edwin Markham Middle School from 2008 to 2014. He also worked as the Student Retention Project Director at UCLA shortly before joining Community Coalition in 2016. Since his return to South Los Angeles, Carlos is dedicated to ultimately dismantling the school to prison pipeline through strategic and effective academic and wellness programming for our SCYEA component.
Fun Fact: Carlos was the only Chicano hockey player on the UCLA ice hockey team and the youngest to be named the captain of the team at the age of 19 years old.