My journey does not match that of most journalism majors.

I shocked my parents by dropping out of Reed College and boarding a bus to La Paz, Mexico, where I got a job teaching English. My students that year were not much younger than I, but thanks to my years of taking Spanish at a public high school in California, I was able to connect with these teens.

Back in the United States, I realized that I loved writing as much as teaching, so when I was 21, I talked my way into an interview for a staff reporting position. I landed the job.

Then, a scholarship to study journalism brought me to the Czech Republic, where I was mentored by the executive editor of The Prague Post. I stayed in Prague to write for the newspaper. In other words, I worked as a news reporter before I actually got my journalism degree at The New School in New York City.

All these years, one thing has remained constant: my longing to connect with people who are making the world a better place to live.

Today in the San Francisco Bay Area on Ohlone land, I work in media relations at RMI, an international nonprofit that’s helping the world transition to clean, zero-carbon energy for all. This is exactly where I want to be right now: working in climate policy to get more climate stories about people and communities into the world.

I’m also the mother of two incredible daughters, Mae and CJ.