I am a Guatemalan immigrant. My middle names, Balam Kuk, which mean, in Mayan languages, Jaguar Quetzal, reflect my connection to my ancestral homeland.
I have a doctorate in Biology, with a specialization in Evolutionary Biology, from Rice University. However, I have a deep rooted passion for helping people.
In the mid 1990s my life was transformed by the promise of the Internet, and technology, as tools that would bring about a revolution for teaching and learning. As a result, I jumped in head first and left the Biology world behind.
I am especially driven by engaging with people and developing a foundation of trust, with a focus on understanding where they are in life, what problems they care about, and what goals they have set for themselves. I try to bring into the relationship my technology and creative skills set to help them empower them to address their goals and overcome problems, leading to personal transformation.
I take a similar approach when I engage with organizations.
As Associate Vice President for Technology Innovation at Texas State University, I am applying the above principles as part of an initiative that I have spent the last 2 years developing. The NoCode initiative seeks to expose women and BIPOC students and staff to no code development tools in an effort to help them develop a vision of themselves as active, productive participants in digital, regardless of the field of study or career that they have chosen for themselves.
The overarching driver for this program is to achieve societal transformation through digital equity and digital inclusion, leading to an more equitable world.