My goal as an educator is not just the transmission of knowledge, but the co-creation of safe, nourishing spaces where reciprocal relationships can flourish. I work to foster an ethically and critically engaged community where students cultivate both their critical thinking and socio-emotional skills.
My aim is for students to leave my classroom more equipped than when they entered to contribute meaningfully, compassionately, and rigorously to the communities they inhabit.
Pedagogy in Practice
My pedagogy centers on problem- and team-based learning, urging students to connect philosophical themes and ethical dilemmas to their own lives and communities.
Nourishing Feedback: In peer editing workshops and presentations, we dedicate significant time to learning how to give feedback that is nourishing, not just critical.
Learning Pod (Team-Based) Approach: Much of my curriculum is built around a “learning pod” model. This approach helps students learn how to think critically and creatively about power and justice, and also how to engage responsibly with those who hold different views.
An Ethical Classroom Environment: I hold high standards not just for argumentation and analytical rigor, but for kindness, charity, patience, and emotional intelligence.
Collaboration Accountability Plans: My students co-create “living documents” that establish norms for equitable teamwork, mutual accountability, and non-exploitative conflict resolution. These are not administrative checkboxes—they are ethical practices in miniature.
My Journey to Teaching
When I first stood before a classroom of undergraduates in 2018—as a first-generation Latino scholar navigating the unfamiliar terrain of a predominantly white, English-speaking university—I did not have the language or confidence to articulate my teaching philosophy. I was scared, out of place, and uncertain whether I belonged.
But in that vulnerability, I discovered a profound passion for teaching: not as performance, but as practice. In graduate school, I pursued MSU’s Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Teaching (IIT) Fellowship. That experience didn’t just teach me how to teach—it taught me why teaching matters: because it can be an act of justice, a space for belonging, and a site where students learn to care as much as think.
Classes
Instructor of Record (Michigan State University)
PHL 344: Ethical Issues in Healthcare. This course serves as an introduction to contemporary issues in medical ethics. We explore the central conflicts and moral dilemmas facing healthcare professionals and patients, such as patient autonomy and consent, end-of-life care, resource allocation, and the ethical implications of new medical technologies. Students develop skills in analyzing, evaluating, and constructing moral arguments within the healthcare context.
Taught: Summer 2021 (Online), Fall 2023, Spring 2024
PHL 130: Logic and Reasoning. This is an entry-level course in critical thinking. We focus on the practical skills needed to identify, analyze, and evaluate arguments as they occur in everyday life. The course covers the structure of arguments, common logical fallacies, and the principles of both deductive and inductive reasoning, with the goal of improving clear and effective communication.
Taught: Summer 2020 (Online)
Teaching Assistantships
IAH 207: Literature, Cultures, Identities: Ideas of Race and Identity (Michigan State University, with Dr. Eric Lambert) This course provided an interdisciplinary examination of race and identity as constructed and represented in philosophical texts, literature, and other cultural products. As a TA, responsibilities included leading discussion sections, grading, and facilitating student engagement with complex theoretical and narrative materials.
TA: Fall 2019, Spring 2020
PHIL 349: Philosophy, Literature & Cinema (California State University, Fullerton, with Dr. Amy Coplan) This course explored philosophical questions as they are presented in works of literature and cinema. We examined how narrative and visual media can engage with complex themes in ethics, metaphysics, and aesthetics. As a TA, responsibilities included managing a large course section, grading, and holding office hours to help students analyze philosophical concepts in film.
TA: Fall 2015, Spring 2016