Growing up, I never could have imagined I’d one day be where I am, with the opportunity to represent my community in elected office. I owe so much of who I am to the incredible education I’ve had, which began right here in Campbell.
Coming from a low-income, immigrant background, English wasn’t my first language. On the first day of kindergarten at Castlemont Elementary, I didn’t know the English word for “sheet,” to tell the teacher I had finished my assignment. But I had the benefit of an incredible public school teacher, who stuck with me and spent time before and after school, and during lunch and recess, to bring me up to speed. By the end of the year, I was reading two years above grade level, and that teacher helped spark a lifelong love of learning.
Today, I’m lucky enough to have had such incredible opportunities as graduating with a double major from Yale University, an Ivy League school, and pursuing a Master’s at Duke University. My dream is for every Campbell student — no matter where they come from — to have the same opportunities I’ve had.
I pledge to make Campbell the most pro-education community in Silicon Valley. Our school board members take the lead in making the policy choices that determine how our children will be educated. But as Councilmember, I plan to explore creative ways to work with our school leaders and support the work of educating our children.
Too often, our local governing bodies don’t talk to each other. While a monthly joint meeting has been set up between the City and school boards, it is usually sparsely attended. I plan to proactively work with our education leaders to best serve our community.
Where appropriate, I will also actively support our local districts’ policy proposals at the state level, as well as to use my voice and platform to support our children’s education, such as through penning op-eds in local papers.
I was proud to support Measures P and K to fully fund our public schools. While those measures failed to pass, I will advocate for increased state and local funding—including through the Schools and Communities First initiative—as we weather the pandemic-induced recession.
One of the greatest challenges our community faces is attracting and retaining teachers, as many can no longer afford to live in Campbell or the South Bay. When teachers have to move out, it disrupts our children’s education and threatens the cohesiveness of our community.
I’ll explore the use of city-owned land or the possibility of land swap deals to tackle our housing crisis and support our teachers.
As Councilmember, I’ll use my platform to amplify school initiatives such as fundraising drives, and use my private sector experience to bring in new sources of revenue to our local schools.
I pledge to meet with every class of Campbell elementary schoolers and share my story — because everyone should grow up believing that they can succeed in their educational journey.
Mental health is an issue identified by the Campbell Youth Commission as a major concern. I plan to implement a citywide mental health policy, inspired by San Jose’s model, in order to raise awareness, increase resources for treatment and prevention, and reduce stigma associated with mental health.
I’ll work to design and lead a paid internship program for local students to assist in their career development. I will also work with local representatives to publicize the availability of alternative and technical education. Finally, I will enthusiastically participate in our schools’ college and career fairs.
"I really believe that you have the opportunity to do something historic, which is reimagine in the 21st century the role that community college districts can play."
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